Long Road Home
by HotxBuns
Summary: Loki falls to earth, where an unseemly individual nurses him back to health. Post-movie. Loki/OC The first chapter is a little long, but please bear with me! The following chapters are good, I promise :D
1. The unnatural falling star

I do not own any of the characters (except Victoria, Anthony, and Wendy) mentioned in my fic, they all explicitly belong to Marvel, and the awesome dude who created that. Sadly enough I don't own Loki either, although I really do wish it so XD Hope you enjoy, and please leave a comment~

…

It was just a regular Friday night, with all the people walking busily on the streets going off to parties. I hadn't really expected anything super special to happen to brighten up this night. The first moment my day began, it sucked, so I wasn't really looking forward for something that would possibly brighten up this horrible weekend.

First of all, I had lost one of my part-time odd jobs. It's not like I personally liked the job, because being shouted at for hours wasn't exactly anyone's typical dream profession. I used to work in a Seven Eleven convenient store from five in the afternoon to one in the morning, the only reason being that I needed that job to pay the bills. Working at Book Off and as a bartender paid for my and my siblings' tuitions. And working as a bartender got big bucks for the outrageous tips drunk people can give. Some nights could get $250.

With school and home bills to pay, I'd have about a hundred fifty dollars left over, which usually went straight to the bank. By now, I had about a thousand dollars, what with those emergencies that popped up every now and then. The insurance and retirement payment didn't really do that much; most of it went to bills, bills, and more bills. Oh well, I thought. I guess I just had to find another job.

But that was the problem. You see, ever since I had "gone on vacation from my real job" and had an appointment with a doctor, he'd told her to lay off a few jobs to get my health back. It was quite impossible to "lay" it off so simply, because I sorta needed the extra money.

"Are we there yet, Vickie?"

My pair of hazel eyes flitted up to the rearview mirror and its vision was greeted by my eleven year old brother, Anthony, and my seven year old sister, Wendy.

"Yep, almost there," I reply, brushing back choppy blonde strands of hair from my face. I should've put it in a ponytail or a clip, because it kept getting into my face. If I only could (meaning here, if I had money), I would've gone to the barber and have it cut boy-short, but I merely got scissors out and would start lopping at it, which was why I have uneven hair. It was getting long again, nearly reaching past my shoulder.

"You don't remember Jane that much anymore, don't you, Wendy?" I ask, taking a turn on the road. Aha, almost there. We were very near my cousin's house/office.

"No…"

Jane Foster was my cousin, on my father's side. She was an astrophysicist, or whatever it was. I particularly wasn't that interested that much in science, except for branches in medicine. Ever since I took leave from my job, she'd called me up in my apartment to take a break over at her place. Ah, bless her soul, Jane was so kind and open-hearted to everyone. I was glad to have an older cousin who was almost like an older sister to me.

Finally, we had pulled up in the walkway of her house, and I pulled up into parking and turned off the engine. The three of us got out of the car and took out the backpacks and one suitcase from the back of the car. The front door of the house opened, revealing a slim young woman with long brown hair, dressed in a simple white tee, jeans, and summer sandals. I let out a child-like squeal as we both hugged each other, laughing like little girls.

"Oh my gosh, the two of you are all so grown up now," Jane fawns, looking over Wendy and Anthony. "You're all so adorable~" she croons.

. . .

After the kids were already asleep in their rooms, Jane and I sat quietly at the dinner table, resting after we had finished washing up the dishes. "Boyfriends recently?" she asks with a smile. I knew that she had a boyfriend every now and then, judging by her friendly attitude, her innocent charm, and her undeniable gorgeousness. It made me slightly jealous that she was just so pretty without trying or knowing.

I blushed slightly and looked at my hands folded in my lap. I laugh. "That's like trying to place two south magnets next to each other, Jane; I'm too occupied with work and those two to bother. Besides, you honestly think a guy would possibly notice me anyways, even though I do work in a bar. What about you?"

"Yes. No. Yeah…?" she laughed. "It's sort of complicated, you know? He promised me he'd come back, but…he never did," she says quietly, without a hint of bitterness in her voice. "I know he's coming back for me."

"…where did he go off to?"

My older cousin smiled and looked at me as if she was looking at an insufferable little girl. "Pretty much to the opposite ends of the world, Vickie. I really don't know where the hell he's gone or up to." She looks at me for quite a while, as if sizing me up. After a short space of silence she opens her mouth, "Do you read Norse mythology, Vickie?"

Before I could answer, we were interrupted as a beeping sound went off on one of Jane's many open laptops on the nearby tables. She immediately rushed over, clicking the mouse of some of them and checking her wristwatch.

"Oh my god," she breathed out, staring blankly at the screen.

I walked over, slightly worried as she wrinkled her brows together. "'Oh my god' what?" I ask as she opens one of the windows and looks up into the night sky. I peer up as well, only to have my jaw drop in shock. Was that a shooting star…? Why was it-

"Holy _hell,_ is that freaking natural?"

"Come on, we need to go," she says, quickly fishing for the keys in her pocket.

"W-Wait, what the hell? _'We'?_ I can't just leave my younger siblings here with Darcy! And it's nighttime, what if Wendy-"

My words were cut off as Jane grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me out the door. "They'll be fine!" she snapped as I still protested as I was shoved into her van.

. . .

"Oh, god," I drone, staring out the window of the van as she drove faster away from town. "Are you sure about this, Jane?"

"Yes, I'm _dead_ sure."

"If I get squashed from a shooting star, I'm so going to haunt your ass, Jane."

We drive in silence as I stare out the window of the van. The falling star was getting bigger, which obviously meant it was coming closer and closer. Odd as it seemed, it wasn't falling it a diagonal direction as one would've thought as falling star would be doing, but it just seemed to be falling vertically.

"Why the hell is it so important? We should be moving in the other direction with my two younger siblings where safety is, not diving in for our deaths, you know? Why the fuck is a ginormous asteroid coming to hit New Mexico so important to you, eh, Jane?" I ask as she parks in the middle of nowhere, putting the van into neutral.

She glares slightly at me for a few seconds before saying, "Remember I was asking you about Norse myths earlier?" I nod in response. "In the Norse beliefs, there are realms, different worlds. Earth is Midgard and-"

"Whoa, wait," I interrupt, holding up my hands. "I thought that was in Lord of the Rings."

Jane scratches the back of her head and rolls her eyes. "That's a different story. And I think it's called something else. Anyways, the bridge between the different worlds is the Bifrost, which connects Asgard and Midgard. Every time there is an unbelievably unnatural aurora borealis, it is the opening of the Bifrost."

I blink at my cousin for a few seconds, considering if I should continue listening to her fairytale, or running batshit out the door for my life. I considered the latter. "Ummm…"

Thunder began to roll outside, causing the two of us to jump in our skins. I've never been comfortable with thunder, and ever since I came back here to America, it made me a lot more uneasy hearing it now. Jane looks at me uneasily and gently stroked my hand. "Anyways," she continues, "do you remember that time when there was this news that a satellite fell from the sky and embedded itself in a self-made crater here in New Mexico?" I nod, remembering it on the small TV screen in the bar I work in. "That wasn't a satellite. That was Mjollnir, Thor's hammer."

I scoot a bit farther from my cousin and blink at her in disbelief. "Okay. That's nuts. You mean the blonde thunder dude with a shaggy beard? Thor? You serious?" She gives me the eye, causing me to gulp slightly. "Okay…continue…"

"You don't believe me," she says, hurt filling her voice. For a moment, I would've felt slightly guilty, but the fact that perhaps in less an hour we'd be squashed by a meteor, all by her doing was not really lightening up the moment. Oh, wow, it was raining outside.

"Thor, the thunder dude with blonde hair tossed his hammer to Midword. Then ran after it. Via aurora borealis. And I'm supposed to believe that?" I ask, snickering. "There's an asteroid-comet falling-star thing in the sky, and that's not an aurora borealis."

Jane Foster rolled her eyes and went back to studying the sonar on the computer screen. Suddenly an enormous gust of wind rocked the van, then a loud explosion that caused me to go deaf for a few seconds occurred outside, causing the two-ton van to shudder like a leaf. The both of us exchanged a quick glance, then skittered out the door, only to see an enormous crater the size of a convenient store.

It was dusty and smoky, and with the rain that was bucketing down, it was hard to see anything else but the crater. However, I could see some sparks of light issuing forth from the center of the crater, curling and snapping like electricity. I brushed a handful of sopping wet golden hair out of my eyes as Jane and I rushed towards the crater.

Was that…a human form sprawled on the ground?

"Oh god," Jane mumbles as we near the center. It is! It's a body of a man, lying unconsciously on the ground. He has unbelievably pale skin, the color of death, and black hair that was slicked back but slightly askance due to the rain. He looks undeniably attractive, with his high cheekbones, stately long nose, and my jaw drops as I stare at his clothes – it was like he came out of some fantasy storybook or a renaissance convention with his armor and dark green cape the color of the forest. And his armor…was sparking with green forks of electricity.

Immediately, I bring my ear near his mouth, waiting for a breath. There wasn't any. Bringing up my fingers to his wrist, I feel a heartbeat. It's faint and even, but it was there. "He's alive," I say breathlessly to Jane as I began to check for any broken bones or wounds. "He has no major injuries or major broken bones," I pant, as I proceeded to unbuckle him armor to give him AP. After a few tries, I bring my ear near his mouth and finally feel a breath.

I gasp as suddenly takes a sharp intake of breath, and his eyes open: a startling bright emerald green. There's something that ticks in me when his eyes focus unsteadily on me, it's like it's so empty and hungry for help and compassion. Something snaps in me as I gaze into the pair of beautiful green eyes that look so completely lost and in pain. He sputters and coughs, choking on the rain that was pouring all around us.

A sudden cry leaves my lips when he grasps onto my shirt, pulling me close to him so that our faces were barely centimeters apart from each other. "Where…where is this place? What realm is this?" he demanded to know in a strained voice. "Is…this Midgard?"

My mind suddenly snaps as I stare at Jane. Wait. So…was her fairytale…true? Jane nods and says, "Yes, sir. This is earth."

He exhales shakily and closes his green eyes, and then rests his head back onto the muddy ground, losing consciousness once more.

I take a breath and watch his face for nearly half a minute, watching his chest slowly rise and fall. He just looks so…beautiful, lying there. "He needs to go to a hospital," I tell my cousin, brushing a loose strand of black hair out of his forehead.

"But, Vickie, we can't! Let's just take him home and take care of him."

"What? Jane, I'm not a doctor! I'm not even a nurse!" I protest angrily. "He needs medical attention."

"You were a corpsman, Vickie!" my cousin shouted in reply. "You've saved lives in the battle zone before! You can at least do this, can't you?"

"What the hell- why can't we just take him to the motherfucking hospital, huh?" I scratch my head in frustration and glare at Jane Foster, then I start to falter under her strong gaze. Her clear eyes assure me – almost telling out loud that she actually knew what was going on, including the part that a guy fell from the sky and caused a crater in New Mexico.

"Fine. Fine. If this dude from space dies, it's not my fault, all right?" I snap. "Now help me get him to the van."

…

So, um, there…I hope it wasn't that crappy or too long to finally end up with Loki or anything ^_^ Please leave your reviews and thoughts, and oh, do you think I should change the viewpoint from 1st person to 3rd? Please let me know 8D

/HotxBuns


	2. The dude from space

Thank you to all the people who read and reviewed my measly story :D If I could hug each and every one of you, I would.

Super extra special TY to i'..polish for pointing out my mistake! I'll fix that in a bit when my lazy buttocks get kicked or somethin'

Nopeses, I don't own Thor or Loki. Sadly enough XD I wish I did. I only own Victoria and her two sibs.

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><p>"I almost did it, Father!" he cried out, looking up at the white-haired old man. "…for all of us!"<p>

A sad smile passed over the All-Father's face as he looks down at his son. It was a look of utter sympathy, seeing the way that his son thought, the morbid and destructive paths that he was willing to take for peace. Peace through chaos was never the answer.

"No, Loki."

The younger son gulped quietly at the sound of his Father's slighting admonition reaching his ears. That's all he needed to hear. Just another insult to injury. It was on the same level as the time when Odin told him that he was not his father.

_Useless, everything you did was useless. You're useless._

Loki loosens his grip on his older brother, amidst the latter's protest and immediately gravity pulls him down from his family, until the image grows fainter and farther and the only thing he sees is the Bifrost shattered by Thor. He glances behind him, only to see a frothy nebula of another realm closing in on him. It comes up fast, and a spherical world comes into his sight – blue and green and white. The feeling of his body breaking through the atmosphere felt as if he was being frozen and burnt at the same time as he hurtled toward the surface at a hundred miles a second.

-And that's when he lost consciousness.

…

"How on earth were you able to get an IV, honestly, Vickie?" Darcy asked me as she entered the room, with one hand placed authoritatively on her hip. She touched the rectangular plastic sheet with liquid that was hanging on a metal coat rack.

I smirked. "You don't want to know." My eyes rest on the lean stranger who had been lying there on the bed since last night. Jane and I, not being the barely 120 pound women we were, had somehow been able to magically hustle him off the ground and into the van. When we had arrived home, the complete removal of his armor was a major problem; it was more like a second skin that refused to fully come off. He was just wearing a plain dark brown shirt from one of Jane's exes and a pair of her super XL pajamas. It had prints of bunnies on them.

My eyes traveled his pale, handsome face from his jet black hair that reached halfway through his neck, his long nose, and the closed eyes that hid a pair of startling emerald irises.

Those eyes. I remember the look in them when he gained some consciousness last night. It was so sad and lost, like the appearance of a sad boy who had lost his way. And looking into them was like looking into a mirror; I saw my own sadness reflecting in them as well.

I really wanted to know what was going on and who this person was. From what had happened last night, I sort of believed everything Jane had told me, from the Norse Bifrost to Thor's hammer, but this person was quite a mystery to me.

Bored, I went back to my magazine and flipped to the page where I had left off. Darcy sat down next to me, messing around with her Pokemon White or Black or whatever she was playing on her DS at the moment.

My attention was immediately distracted from the crappy magazine when the black-haired man began to shift slightly in his bed and groan. Immediately I sprung up from the nearby chair and walked over to him and took his wrist in my hand, checking his heartbeat. At my touch, he startled and opened his eyes.

_Oh, god, his __**eyes**__. _

"I'll go call Jane," Darcy said breathlessly, leaving me alone with the stranger in the small room.

He blinked at me for a few seconds, as if trying to accept what was going on. "T-This is earth, am I correct?" he asks in a slightly raspy but cool tone as he withdrew his hand.

"Yep, how're ya feeling?" I ask, moving my hand to feel his forehead. He swatted it away and I glare at him. "Jane and I freakin' saved your pathetic bum last night, so I do believe I have the right to check if you," I snap, putting my hand where it should've been earlier.

The sounds of footsteps cold be heard behind me, along with the sound of childish laughter and running. Within a few seconds, my cousin burst into the room, her brown hair flying in all directions. She was at my side in an instant.

When the stranger's eyes alighted on her, they widened, then went back to its normal size.

"Hi," Jane says quickly, staring at him. "My name's Jane, and this is my younger cousin Victoria." I steal a glance when she addressed me as "younger."

He looked at her, then at me for a few seconds, as if drinking in our images. "I'm guessing that one of you was Thor's lover."

I glanced briefly at Jane, who by now had a slight crimson blush swept over her cheeks. When she nodded quietly, my eyes looked like a pair of blue fried eggs. I pointed an index finger at my brown-haired relative, then to the stranger lying down.

"Ahahaha, _okaaaay_, I believed you when you said that Thor's hammer fell to earth, but freaking hell, you _**slept**_ with the thunder dude?" I snapped, causing Jane's jaw to drop dramatically. "But he's got a-"

"I never slept with him!" she exclaimed, throwing up her hands in the air. "And he's the _god_ of thunder, not the 'thunder dude'."

"Your eye twitched; that means you're lyin'," I chafed, running my hands through my hair. "Now, mister, can I have a quick explanation as to why you're here, seing that you're…definitely from another dimension." My eyes twitched at the last part; I still really couldn't bring myself to believe that this whole silly _**"OMG, there's other realms out there"**_ crap was real.

His green eyes bored into mine, then traced out the whole outline of my body, as if sizing me up, the way alley cats do before a fight. "How _dare_ you address me so plainly, mortal."

I brushed Jane's hand off my shoulder in an attempt to calm my upcoming rage.

"FFth, hell yeah, I dare address thee that way, my lord; because first of all, remember, wherever the hell you came from, you're not there anymore. Second, we saved your sorry ass from pneumonia," I state dryly. "Third, I could be enjoying my vacation, but I'm here trying to nurse you from your sorry state; so I ask again, who are you?"

If looks could kill, I'd either be a pile of ash or would've melted into a puddle of girlish goo, judging my the death glare he sent me. The slightly morbid side of my thought his glare was slightly adorable, from the way that he narrowed his green eyes and furrowed his eyebrows.

A sigh left his lips that almost seemed as if he accepted his tiny defeat. "I am Loki, god of mischief."

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><p>Hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was a bit of a drag. . . ._.<p>

Thank you very much for reading, and why won't you go and clicky that dark blue button down there? All critiques are greatly appreciated

/HotxBuns


	3. We talk world destruction over breakfast

**Loki's POV**

It was not often that he introduced himself as the god of mischief, and when the words simply rolled off his tongue, it felt rather odd. He'd never been quite accustomed to be calling himself "god" in Asgard, where all the other gods were greater than him. He suppressed a smirk that was suddenly building up in him – this _was_ earth, he could easily manipulate people a whole lot more easily than in Asgard. Oh, this was going to be fun.

It should be very easy to manipulate one of these humans in order to get his ways.

So when the mortal so-called "Victoria" raised a blonde brow at him and laughed a dry laugh, he couldn't help but narrow his eyebrows at her. What was so funny about the truth?

The other mortal, Jane, gaped at her younger cousin in astonishment. Victoria laughed as well at her reaction.

"What? I mean, come _on_, Jane. You're buying this dude's crap?" she asked.

Loki's mind was currently trying to keep up with the blonde mortal's way of speaking, first beginning with dude, then with crap. What the hell were those two anyways? But he kept his mouth shut, obviously not wanting to make himself look like a fool.

"Vickie, he's Loki, Thor's brother-"

Victoria rolled her eyes and gestured to him. "Loki had _red_ hair. This guy's hair is like Severus Snape. Minus the greasiness."

Loki stared open-mouthed at the tall blonde girl who had just spouted random nonsense about him. "Excuse me?"

"Tell me, what is the name of your brother Thor's real wife?" she snapped, leaning over him so that their faces were barely an inch apart. By now, the god of mischief was quite flustered at this girl's brazen attitude.

His green eyes trailed off to Jane's surprised form for a split second; she had stood in shock at her younger cousin's question.

"…Thor isn't married," he replied, after thinking for a few seconds. What was this mortal up to?

She straightened up at scoffed slightly, and then looked at Jane. "I thought Sif was married to your brother."

A dry laugh left the man's lips at the name of the goddess of war. Sif linked with Thor? Now that was something new. Sure, they were close since they grew up like siblings, but as husband and wife? Nuh-uh. Hell no.

"And pray where, dear mortal, did you hear of that?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"Recorded in every single book and article that has Norse mythology in it says that. It was handed down from the B.C. years up to now," the blonde mortal replied. "But you imply it's wrong."

If Loki hadn't calmed himself down, he would've strangled this impudent young mortal. She acted – and had some features that mirrored Thor's. Quick, foolish, and hot-tempered.

"Then history has handed your generation lies," he said in a velvet-smooth voice. "Sif has always been Thor's fighting playmate. And nothing more. Or rather, I'm not certain, for Sif always had a secretive eye for my brother, yet it's positive that he doesn't notice, being the thick-headed idiot he is." The last few words came out a bit more bitterly than he expected.

Victoria folded her arms across her chest and glowered down at Loki. She looked at Jane. "What do you suppose we do? I don't particularly trust this guy, Jane."

Jane stared at him for a few seconds. "I don't…either. But we have to help him, Vickie. C'mon," she said softly, and then whispered something in the taller female's ear that was inaudible to Loki.

Much to Loki's surprise, Victoria's features softened until it almost looked the complete opposite than it was much earlier. She actually looked kind and friendly like Jane.

"Fine. Fine," she sighed, rubbing her temples. She looked at Loki with compassion that almost made his stomach writhe in slight regret. "You must be hungry."

…

I was rather shocked when he was able to get out of bed. At first I protested that I would've brought him food or something, due to some fractured bones and wounds, but he refused assistance and got up on his own. A thin smirk played on his lips when I stared at him as he removed the bandages I had made on his ribs. My mouth was hanging open as I ogled the scars and wounds on his pale flesh fade and become reduced to nothing.

He had stared at the menu for a few minutes before deciding on a pulled-pork sandwich. "You can order a whole lot more than that, I know you're hungry," I say quietly, without looking up from the plastic sheet. When he told the waitress what he wanted, I realized that he had ordered half of what was written on the menu. I was slightly glad that Jane had persuaded me to take her money.

"So…" I started, after the waitress waddled back to the kitchen. "Why did you end up here?"

He seemed to ponder the question over in his mind, looking into my eyes as if he was trying to detect something in me. Playing with the metal sporks a few seconds he replied, "To put it simply the bridge that connected Asgard with the other realms shattered."

My eyes lit up. "The Bifrost? But…isn't the Bifrost a rainbow? How can a rainbow break?"

Loki, or whoever this guy was, grew a smirk on his lean features. It annoyed me how suave and smooth this guy acted, as if he knew everything was wrapped easily around his features. "Yes, the bridge is the Bifrost," he said in his velvety voice. "And to the last two, yes and no, it is because it hangs over the side of a waterfall and light causes it, but is not necessarily a rainbow. You humans come up with the most amusing ideas."

I rolled my eyes. "I guess whoever wrote the Norse mythology was high on mushrooms at the time."

He smiled faintly, then asked "What else did it say about me?"

I thought for a little while, trying to remember what else I had read while I was working at Book Off. "Well, you were married in your teenage years to a goddess named Sigyn, and had four or so kids. You also had other mistresses." His eyebrows shot up as if in surprise. I stopped, because I knew the next few parts weren't that nice. Definitely not nice.

"…and then?" he prodded, his green eyes staring deep into mine. "Tell me, I won't bite."

"Um, you caused the death of Baldur, and as punishment, one of your little boys was turned into a wolf, and ate your other son. The entrails were used as chains to bind you to a rock, where an enormous snake hung over you, dripping venom. Sigyn held a bowl, catching the venom, but when it was full and she had to empty it, the venom would sting your eyes. You would cry and writhe in pain, causing the world to have earthquakes. After time, your bonds slowly loosened, so you escaped. Then when the world will end, you would rise with your children and destroy the gods, and destroy the worlds as revenge."

He was as still as a statue when I finished, only the blinking of his emerald eyes informed the world that he was alive. I squirmed slightly in my seat at the rather uncomfortable silence.

"I'm glad it's just a mortal fairytale," he said dismissively, the conniving smirk returning back to his pale face. "Although the last part sounds rather tempting."

I laugh ironically. I could definitely imagine this smooth-talking, attractive, and mysterious man wreaking havoc all over the place, but the thought that this same person was wearing Jane's bunny pj's wasn't adding to the Armaggedon idea.

"But…the part that you were an outcast among the Aesir…was that…true?" I ask tentatively, tracing circles on the table.

Loki's eyes focus steadily on mine and almost seemed as if he's piercing my whole being, and he's boring himself into my very soul, transferring an enormous deal of sorrow into my heart. "Yes. I have always been an outcast." He smiled. "You finally said something that was right."

I noted the bitterness that was in his voice, it matched his expression and his demeanor, and finally everything clicked. "I opt to guess that you know why."

"You weren't always a part of the Aesir." The sad, slightly cold smile widened on his face. "You were a frost giant, you ran away because the giants bullied you due to your size."

He laughed bitterly. "Not quite. Odin took me as a child as a means of uniting the Frost Giants and the Asgardians. Pathetic, really. Odin happens to kidnap me, while my real father made no attempt to take me back." Loki inhales deeply and gazes off into space. I suddenly realize how this guy is quite like me: our depression was painfully obvious to everyone, but we refused any help that was offered to us. We were both quite the walking mental case.

"So," he said out of the blue, "I got married to a goddess named 'Sigyn,' hmm?"

"That's what's they said, although it's pretty much false," I say with a smile. My eyes follow the fat waitress who's coming towards our table, pushing a dinner cart loaded with several trays of food.

"Do you know what the counterpart of Sigyn is in your language?" he asks, with a stupid "I-know-something-you-don't" smile. I shake my head.

The waitress, who had a look of complete irritation on her face, loaded the trays onto our table, crowding it up with steaming hot breakfast food. Loki flashed her a charming smile, to which she grew an unbelievably lovesick face and nearly swooned before going back into the kitchen.

"All right, c'mon, what does it mean?" I ask impatiently, squirting some mustard on my scrambled egg and toast.

The smirk on his thin lips deepened. "It's _Victoria_."


	4. Three wishes

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing/critiquing my stories. :D

This chapter will be long, so bear with me XD And you'll get a front-seat row to Victoria's dark past. (Which is the explanation why she acts/talks like an immature kid.)

I don't own any of the characters, except Victoria, Anthony, and Wendy (I had to re-edit this because I accidentally put Sophie/Sophia XD). I own the plot in these, but not the super original one. That's Marvel's :D

Hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Loki's POV<strong>

From the corner of his eyes, he watched Victoria as she started the automobile's ignition. He did his best to drink in her every single detail without making it obvious.

She was undeniably pretty, with her choppy blonde waves that framed a slightly childish face. For a female at age twenty-three, she was tall at 5' 9" and athletic. Slightly muscular even, as if she randomly lifted heavy weights in her spare time.

There was a rather charming aura that she exuded, causing everyone to be attracted to her like moths to a flame, even though she was slightly rough and foolish at times. Annoying, even. It was like she was the sun in the universe, and all everything revolved around her. Ugh, he thought. Like Thor.

And then there were her eyes. It was like a pair of dark blue orbs set in white marble.

Cruel. Unfeeling. Frozen. Dead. _Just like him._

Those eyes didn't match her at all, and it was eerie just looking straight into them. Sure, she could mask whatever beneath her charming ways through her teenager-ish immaturity and rashness, but there was definitely something foreboding lurking within those irises. Was it sadness? Was it anger? Or maybe even both?

Either way, those eyes haunted Loki. It made him all the more curious about this interesting mortal.

"What do you do for a living?" he asked as she began to drive out of the parking lot.

"What do I do for a living?" She glanced at him briefly before checking the rearview mirror. "Well, I'm a corpsman in the U.S. Army. Nearly half a year ago I was in the battle zone in the Middle East. I was deployed there for six months, deployed to the US for six months, then sent back again. The squad I was in got attacked on my second tour there…" she paused and ran her hand through her blonde waves. "I was one of the very few survivors, and because I got shot, I received the Purple Heart Award. Useless shit if you ask me. I wasn't able to save my friends. I saw my friends die."

Loki watched her as she blinked hard and pushed some stray strands of hair out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, letting the words roll out as simply as he could let them.

A short laugh that almost sounded like a sob came out of Victoria's lips as she made a turn by the bend, taking a right. "Thank you. But I'm over it now."

He continued to watch her out of the corner of his eyes. He wanted to say, _"No you're not over it yet. You're still sad. You need help."_ But he remained silent. He had always been observant of people – noticing how they lived, acted, reacted, and felt. He knew what went through their minds, and through years of expert observation could easily calculate their next moves.

But he didn't know how to offer compassion. After all, he wasn't one fit to do so. He was the god of mischief, who lied through his teeth to get what he wanted. Empathy wasn't that familiar to him. It's not like he was a loved individual within the confines of his home in Asgard.

Everyone regarded him as an individual who always had something evil hidden up his sleeve.

"So. What're you going to do now?" she asked after a painfully long space of silence.

"I need to find a way to return to Asgard," he replied. "With the Bifrost broken, it's going to be a bit harder than summoning Heimdall."

"Who?"

"The gatekeeper of the Bifrost. But-" He grimaced at the thoughts that were forming in his head.

Sure, topical wounds were healed as well as the fractured bones, but he hadn't regained all of his strength that was needed to get back home. Some of his magic was working, but without full strength, it could only be used to a bare minimum.

Loki continued, "But I need your help."

"All right. Food and shelter and whatnot. But in exchange for what? Three wishes?" she asked, glancing briefly at the god of mischief.

His heart began beating faster when she looked at him – it was almost as if she was suspecting something. "If you want, then so be it," he said slowly, as if considering that she may use those three wishes against him someday. "Three wishes if you like, albeit it may seem a bit too much in comparison to what I ask for in return."

"Dude. You've got a monstrous appetite. The bills will soon add up on the tab, you know."

* * *

><p><strong>Victoria's POV<strong>

"But wait – I need his help! I need to pry information from him!" Jane protested as she followed me through the house. "I need to find a way to-"

"Get to Asgard?" I finished, crossing my arms over my chest. "Jane, please think rationally, since you're the scientist. Balance everything out. We are _not_ goddesses, nor are we _dead_. We _don't_ fit in that place. You are a _mortal_, Jane."

She looked at me with a sad and embittered look on her face, and I realized I had just poked at a wound. I had just implied that she's not worthy to be with Thor. _Ouch_.

I sigh and put my arms around my cousin. "Look, Jane. Loki is offering three wishes in return for our helping-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Weren't you the one who wasn't believing him earlier?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed deep into her forehead. "Besides, we can't fully trust him. When Thor was leaving, one of the Norse warriors said that trouble was brewing because of Loki. We can't fully trust him."

True. The guy _was_ the god of mischief after all.

Darcy (who still acted quite immature) and Wendy ran through the kitchen, screaming and laughing as Anthony chased them through the first floor. I watched them quietly as I stood in front of Jane, wondering what I should think next.

The weekend was almost over, I told my cousin. I definitely had to return Anthony and Sophie soon, or else the smart-pants people would be sensing that I did something stupid to the two and send me to another idiotic anger or OCD counseling. I was honestly getting sick and tired of it. It was so pointless. Then it would just be more pills.

Returning Anthony to the State Adolescent Center wasn't that much of a problem. I could visit him everyday if I wanted to, easy.

But Wendy had a different story – ever since…well, ever since she was born, it was hard to see her at least even once a week. I was actually "grateful" that the foster family taking care of her actually let her stay with me for a whole weekend. Looking at her, laughing and smiling now made me smile, but deep down inside it made me sad, as if a lot of uncomfortable memories were coming back.

_Stupid_. I thought. _That's the past. Most of it was your fault. Get over it._ So I pushed the emotions back down.

* * *

><p><strong>Loki's POV<strong>

Victoria breathed out a large puff of nicotine, leaning back her head as she swung her dangling leg across the tree branches. It was a rather clear night, with the full moon out and the stars sparkling in the distance. Some constellations she could make out, like the Andromeda that Jane taught her before. Now that she thought about it, those weren't exactly constellations. They were the other realms.

"Care if I join you?"

She looked down immediately at the direction of the voice, only to see Loki, dressed in a simple black tee and jeans. He actually looked adorable, looking up at her with a faint smile; thanks to the moonlight, a twinkle of mischievousness could be faintly seen in his green eyes.

_Snap out of it. He's the god of mischief. He's a liar. _

Victoria took in another drag, then let it curl out slowly from her mouth. "Sure. C'mon up."

In a few seconds, he was up on the same branch, sitting side-by-side with Victoria. His pale skin seemed to glow unnaturally from the beams of light offered by the full moon above. "Can't sleep?"

He nodded. She couldn't blame him. There were just some nights when you were just homesick and you couldn't manage to find sleep. The sleeping quarters in Asgard must have been grandeur in comparison to the beds they had here.

"That's bad for you," Loki muttered, gesturing to the cigarette that was hanging loosely from her pink lips. "And you can burn down a tree with that." She flashed him a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of her head.

"I'll be careful. Besides, I just happen to do it when I'm stressed. I'm not really a smoker, anyways."

The two of them sat quietly on the large tree branch; Loki stared quietly into the distance, Victoria puffed smoke without a sound. "Are those two your children?" he asked suddenly.

Victoria choked on her cigarette at his question and stared at him dumbly, taken aback at his question. "N-No. Well, Anthon-"

"It is fine with me if you do not want to speak about it," he said in an unbelievably gentle tone. "If I've hurt you by prying, I beg for forgiveness." _Odd_, he thought. It came out a bit more wholehearted than he wanted it to sound.

"It's okay." She brought the cigarette to her lips. Loki looked at her, not from a sideways glance, but looked on fully at her pretty face. It was so sad, much unlike her arrogant and immature behavior earlier on. It was infuriating, really.

She sighed. "I feel like I need to let it out anyways. If I don't, I'll probably explode or do something drastic." After a while, she began her story.

"I was twelve years old when my dad left, and Anthony was practically a baby. My dad just disappeared into nowhere, and up to now I don't know what happened to him. I hope he's dead," she added bitterly. "My mom fell into a depression and became a drug-addict. She was constantly high, and so I had no choice but to become the man of the house and to earn a living for my family. It was hard, going to a crazy public school, working in a low-paying crappy place, and living in the slums. The slums was a shithole. There were always fights going on and raids."

She paused. "I worked in a fast-food joint when I turned sixteen. One of my co-workers there, Jason Grant, kept hitting on me. Don't get me wrong, he was really cute, but I didn't like his attitude and I made it clear I didn't like him at all. There was this one time that I fainted on duty, from exhaustion, and he took me to the back where I could get 'some fresh air.' I was conscious already when he took me to the back, but I was still weak. He pinned me to the ground and covered my mouth with a dirty rag. He raped me."

Victoria leaned heavily against the tree trunk, staring off into the distance. "He was put into a juvenile delinquency. I found out some time afterwards later that I was pregnant, and I couldn't abort the kid because I was underweight at the time. I would've died if I had terminated my pregnancy. And I'm glad I didn't, because I wouldn't have Wendy."

Loki gazed at her mournfully, then stared at her pale legs dangling there beneath her, lost for words. "What did your mother do when she found out?" he asked in a voice that was barely audible.

A cracked, sarcastic laugh let her lips as she looked at him. He saw her dark blue eyes plainly in the faint light, glittering like sapphires. Like the pools of fresh water that glistened in the gardens of Asgard during the night.

"She was as high as a kite. What could she have done?" she muttered bitterly. "Then when I gave birth, I lost custody for my own kid. I don't really get it that much, cos I don't really get law and shit like that…but…they said that since I was still a minor and that my family didn't have a really nice past, I needed to work with a clean record for five years to gain custody of Sophia. In the meantime, a foster family took care of her. I would've given her to Jane, but at the time she was busy with her life and school, so I couldn't possibly burden her."

"And that's why you entered the army?" he asked curiously. She nodded, smiling faintly.

If Thor or one of the Warriors Three had been here to hear her recount her horrible tale, they would've been moved to tears not only to the drama, but that she chose to fight for her country.

"Yeah. I signed up in Texas, where the recruiter was. Then I became a corpsman. After working super hard and well for three and a half years, I got sent to Afghanistan." She threw her head back and let out a big puff of smoke. It was perfectly round.

"I believe I told you that story in the car…anyways, when I came back, I had post-traumatic stress disorder. Everytime I heard something loud or something that sounded like the dropping of bombs or gunfire. I'd get nightmares about my friend who'd died; I saw their guts spilling open and the blood. I'm a corpsman so I don't get fazed by gruesome stuff, but if you're wounded and the people around you are helpless because you can't move, it's really sickening. Makes you feel like it's your fault they died."

Loki breathed in and out quietly, stealing glances every now and then to look at the pretty blonde girl. So maybe this was why she acted so immature sometimes. Almost as if she never had a chance at childhood.

"I lashed out at the foster family because they wouldn't let me see Sophia," she said slowly. "They sent me to see a counselor for anger management and they gave me meds. I don't take them. And the state added more years to Sophia's custody. Now I'll finally have her when I turn 28. Five more fucking years," she said bitterly, throwing the cigarette far.

He would have chided her for randomly tossing the cigarette, but she was too wrapped up in her anger that he didn't dare break her concentration. He pondered what she would be like as a real housewife. Would she still be angry like she was?

"So that's my story. And I'm over it now, like I said before. "

Loki tilted his head to the side. He had detected a slight twinge of something out of place in the story. His mind had tasted the imbalance lurking in it. "Hold on a moment. Did I not hear you address both Anthony and Sophia as both your siblings?"

Victoria stiffened under his gaze. "Only my mom, Anthony, Sophia and Jane know about this." Something inside him snapped when she said those words.

"Why don't you publicly address her as your child? Your story is not horrible enough to make you embarrassed about your daughter." His voice was firm and cold as the words flowed freely from his mouth. "Do you not think that it is shameful you do not publicly claim your daughter?"

Loki was angry now – almost feeling the same bitterness he felt when Odin told him the truth. That he was a descendant of the evil and dreaded race of Jotunheim.

_"Loki, I-"_

"Why are you so ashamed to admit it?" he snapped angrily, glaring at her.

Suddenly, she looked like a child. Defenseless, helpless, and lost. Then her delicate and pretty features hardened once more to the point that Loki had to summon up all of his courage not to shiver in her prescence.

"You wouldn't understand because you're not human, Loki. Even if you're a frost giant, you're still a prince of Asgard. You're a fucking _god_, for cryin' out loud. I fucking act foolish and stupid to fake the pain and anger that's welled up for the past years." She rubbed the back of her head and sighed. Her deep blue eyes focus up at the sky below as if searching for Asgard.

For a second, Loki thought she was going to punch him. He really wouldn't have minded. He knew what he had said was way too much and had opened up an old wound in her.

Then she did something that he never would have predicted.

She had grabbed the cloth of his shirt, causing him to involuntarily move forward. His lips crashed against hers, and for but a brief moment, time stood still. He couldn't remember who he was, where he was. Everything was just a blur as he kissed back gently in contrast to her forcefullness. He didn't even know _what was_. The whole world's existence was just sealed into those few seconds.

A short amount of time, though it was, he noticed every little detail about Victoria – a little mole on her right temple, the warmth and taste of tobacco in her mouth, the feel of long and thick lashes brushing against his eyelids, the scent of lavender bath soap that lingered on her skin, the warm touch of her little nose brushing against his.

Then in an instant the minute dream was over.

She had roughly pulled away, face tinged red and panting.

Victoria shot him a glance of scorn that once again prodded at his curiosity. "I need to go to sleep now. I have to drive the two back."

Loki watched her as she hopped off the tree branch and landed on the soft grass in one fluid motion, almost as stealthily as a cat's. His green eyes never left her slim figure as she walked back to the house.

**_"What an interesting mortal."_**

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><p>Ha. So there's her story. . .<p>

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	5. I'm a tourist guide

Thank you all for reading and reviewing my stories! It means so much to me.

I don't own any of the Marvel characters or Thor. I wish I did ;D

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><p><strong>Victoria's POV<strong>

"I'll leave him with you now, I guess," I tell my cousin as I load the bags into the car. "Hasn't he come back yet?" Jane shook her head as I closed the doors of the SUV.

"Wendy, stop bothering Tony," I tell the little brown haired girl, and she sits back with a huff against the seats. He flashed her an "I told you so" look.

For some odd reason, I was bothered by the fact that he hadn't come back to the house just yet. Where the hell did he go anyways? It's not like I cared, but I was worried. Definitely worried. I knew he was up to something that wasn't good.

I can feel a small amount of heat rise up in my cheeks as I recalled what had happened last night. I'd made him kiss me after he had chided me. Now I felt so stupid.

"Don't trust him, Jane," I mutter, before I enter the driver's seat and close the door.

"I won't!" she exclaimed, peeking through the window. "The only reason why I'm sucking it up is because of Thor. But remember, Vickie, he mentioned the three wishes for you, not for me." I looked up at her with a quizzical expression on my face.

"He should help you." I say sternly. "I'll personally drive back here and saw his nuts off if he doesn't," I add with a smile.

"I'd like that, yeah," Jane laughed.

…

A brief sigh escaped my lips as I walked to the cashier register at the gas station. I had already dropped off Anthony, and now Wendy was "next on the list." Her tears and sobs and refusal to go with the foster family was barely a mile and a half away already. My insides were already feeling uncomfortable as I now calculated the next time I'd be able to see her again.

My vacation would soon be over in a few more days and I'd be sent back to the theatre of war once more. That would be for fourteen months, seeing that there was a shortage of corpsmen and medics in Afghanistan.

"_Why so sad faced, pretty lady?" _

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up at the sound of the familiar, silky-smooth voice. The mentos mints dropped from my hands and fell to the ground with a dull thump. Before I could bend over to pick it up, a man bent down from behind and with long, white fingers took the candy and placed it in my hand.

For some strange reason his cold fingers left a warm and buzzy sensation in mine.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I hissed, slamming the candies to the counter of the register. I handed over three dollar bills. "You were supposed to stay with Jane because she needed to information on the Bifrost."

A smirk played on his thin lips, mischief glittering down his emerald-green eyes. "I promised her nothing," he replied in a velvet voice.

I grab the candies and the change and make way to the exit. "How the hell did you follow me anyways?" I snapped angrily.

"I was in your car," he replied, smoothing out his white collared shirt and jeans. I honestly wondered if he stole them from somewhere, because I didn't remember Jane having any clothes like these in her wardrobe.

My face paled as I looked from the large windows, I could see Wendy in the backseat, playing with one of her stuffed animals. "You were in the car. The whole time you were riding in my car? How did you-" When his smirking face answered my unfinished question, I cursed angrily, then opened the door.

I slammed it behind me in the hopes that it would've hit him. But there was no sound except for the sound of a normal door sinking back into its place. I looked behind me and shivered. There was no one there.

"_Looking for me?" _

"You're an ass," I mutter at nothing in particular – he's there but I can't see him. Not vanished, but invisible. For a second I couldn't believe he could disappear, but I remembered he was a god. He was the god of mischief, at that.

"Whatever; you can follow if you like. It's not like I can freaking stop you, can I?"

"No. I believe you cannot."

"Shut up and get it before people think I'm talking to thin air."

…

**Loki's POV**

"Don't leave me!" Wendy sobbed as she clutched on tightly to Victoria's shirt, burying her face in her stomach. "I don't want you to go again!"

Victoria squatted low until she was looking up at her daughter. He knew, judging by the mother's attitude, that this was a rather frequent scene for the two. Loki watched as Victoria brushed a few strands of light brown hair out of Wendy's eyes and kiss her forehead.

"I'll be back here before you know it, Wendy," she whispered softly in only an audible tone that Wendy's and Loki's sharp ears could hear. He heard the cracking in her voice that made him turn his face in a different direction. "Please don't cry or I'll be crying too."

He almost felt sick to his stomach at the scene that was taking place outside the car.

He had cruelly spat at her the night before that she was a coward for not publicly showing that that little girl was her child. He felt the pricks of pain in his heart when imagined the indifference that he had felt as a child when he was growing up.

Sure, he knew the lavish praises that Odin and Frigg had bestowed on him and his brother, but the unbelievable subtleness of love that this mortal was giving to her child was unbelievable.

Behind Wendy and Victoria were the foster parents. Judging by the lawn that they were standing in, they were rich people. The husband was a short, fat man in a Tommy Bahamas silk shirt; the wife was a tall, skinny lady with bleached hair and flawless makeup. It was obvious they cared for Wendy, but they snootily regarded Victoria as a piece of trash. It made Loki mad at how they belittled her for everything that she had gone through.

"C'mon, honey, say bye-bye to mommy, she's busy and she needs to go now," Mrs. Snob said in a nasally voice, pulling her away.

Victoria placed a quick kiss on her daughter's cheek and stood up straight blinking back her tears that threatened to fall. She waved at Wendy and went back into the car, putting on her seatbelt and turning on the ignition.

"I love you, mommy," Wendy cried as the car began to roll forward slowly.

Victoria returned the sentiment, looking every now and then at the rearview mirror where she could still see Wendy waving at her. Her lip wobbled now as she sniffed and rubbed the side of her face with a delicate hand.

"Idiot," she snapped, when Loki became visible once more to the human eye. "You were right there watching the whole thing, weren't you?" His silence was a yes to her query. She sniffed and gripped the wheel tighter, her chest heaving up and down with effort.

When he placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, that was all she needed as a few tears trickled down her cheeks. "Thank you," she whispered, almost inaudibly, glancing briefly at Loki through her deep blue eyes.

…

"Well, this is my apartment," she said not-too-cheerily, as she fished for her keys out of her backpack. The god couldn't help but find his eyes looking all over the surrounding areas. Loud music blared from the apartments; some teenagers were sitting outside on the balconies, their legs dangling as they smoked whatnot. Some women were shouting and running after their husbands who were already drunk at this hour of the day.

"Nice."

"Spare me the sarcasm," she snapped as she twisted the key in the lock and pushed the door open. He was surprised to find it quite nice within her apartment – well it wasn't nice as in well-furnished, but it had a warm, comfy feel to it.

There was a small kitchen, a table and two chairs, a bright orange beanbag, a small TV, and a radio. A tiny hallway connected into one bedroom.

"It's not much, but it's all I got," she said, grabbing the remote and flipping on the television. It flashed a news broadcast about the weather and some science reports about an upcoming thunderstorm.

"Anyways," she began, plopping her backpack to the ground and crossing her arms. "Let me get this straight. I've got barely a week until I get deployed once more, and during that time, you go find your Bifrost and I'll be working part time in several places until-"

"Oh, that won't be necessary," he interrupted, leaning against the cream-colored walls of the apartment. A wolfish grin was beginning to build up in him, but he did his best not to let it show on the outside.

She looked up at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I found your organizer containing numbers to your jobs, Book Off and others. I called them, saying that you would be tendering your resignation."

Her blue eyes widened at what he said. She cursed angrily and glared at him. "What the fuck is wrong with you? I _needed_ those jobs!"

Loki's emerald green eyes glanced briefly at her as he came up closer to her until their bodies were barely a few centimeters apart. With a cold smirk on his features, he bent at the waist until his lips were right beside her ear. He was so close that he could smell the faint scent of cheap perfume on her neck.

The smirk deepened when he breathed against her skin, cold sweet air that raised little goose bumps on her tender flesh. It felt like a just retribution for the teasing she had imposed on him, hours earlier when she had forcefully kissed him, then left. "You won't be needing it anymore," he whispered as he tucked a stiff wad of paper into Victoria's hand. "That's about twice the amount you would've made in that pathetic job of yours."

As he pulled away, she looked down into her hand, and her jaw dropped. It was a thick roll of hundred dollar bills. There definitely had to more than just thirty bills. Her face straightened up and she looked at him with a look of complete consternation. "Why?"

He shrugged and walked through the tiny apartment, over to the window where he could see the view of a dirty-looking diner and a tattoo shop plainly. "Maybe because I need your puny mortal help to get back to Asgard. I cannot find the Bifrost without any help."

Victoria laughed and tucked the money in her wallet. "I can't believe you. You're supposed to be in New Mexico with Jane."

"I know," he replied coyly. "But your home was much closer to the location I seek than hers."

"And that is?"

He took out a tourist map from his pocket and unfolded it, handing it to her. She took it from his hands and her pretty blue eyes glanced at the paper, at his face, then down at the map again. "You're nuts. You want to go to Yosemite Falls?"

"Yes. What's nutty about that?" he asked casually, taking the map back from her hands and folding it back into his pocket. "It's only logical. There's a predicted thunderstorm tonight and tomorrow. It takes one and a half days to travel from this place to the park. Add the fact that it's a waterfall, by the time we reach it, there will be a rainbow." By the look on her face, it was obvious that she knew what he was thinking.

"You're going to use it as the Bifrost."

"That is my point precisely." A quick thought ran across his mind. "We agreed that you will help me and return you get three wishes, remember? You want to gain custody of Wendy. _Don't you_?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. Victoria mulled the thought over for a few seconds then rolled her eyes. "Fine, but you're paying for the tolls, all right?"

A smile played on the god of mischief's lips. "Agreed."

**_Oh, this mortal would be so easy to play with._**

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><p>Won't you spend a few seconds and clicky that blue button down theregive me a cookie? ;3

Thank you for reading!


	6. I try to intoxicate a god

Thank you, all of you who have been reading and reviewing my story! It just makes my day!

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><p>Loki stared up at the flashing neon sign that hung overhead<em>. <em>"_Bar Sleepless,_" it read, and judging by the individuals that came to bar confirmed the name. Unbelievably earsplitting music blared out of the club, jumbled rhythms and words that were so profane, they couldn't be repeated. He cocked an inquisitive brow at Victoria (she had told him she would take him out for a drink), who just shrugged and flashed an ID at the bouncer. The latter, who was a brown-haired female, cocked her head towards him.

"What about him, babydoll?" she asked Victoria, motioning to the tall black-haired male.

"_You know you want me; I made it obvious that I want you too,"_ was screamed from the large built-in sound system.

"Oh, him…well…" the corpsman's words died in her throat, as she couldn't think of any excuse or alibi to give the bouncer.

"_Let's remove the space between me and you."_

Loki, however, had come up with an excuse believable enough, because when he bent down and whispered some words to the bouncer, she could only giggle and let them through the club's doors. The blinding multicolor disco lights were spinning in all directions, turning some objects a color they shouldn't be. The sound of enticing and seducing dance music became all the more louder as they made their way through.

"I'm glad I didn't hear it, whatever that was," Victoria laughed loudly over the music as she pulled the pale god to the barstool area. Loki simply smirked in reply. "I'll have a limoncino on the rocks. And give us the strongest whiskey you got for this man," she said, winking at one of the bartender.

"We've got strong whiskey all right," he replied as he began preparing her drink. "But it's unbelievably dangerous: Scotch Bruichladdich distillery's 92%. Two tablespoons of the stuff is enough to make a big man puke for the rest of his night," he laughed, wiping down some of the shot glasses. "A little more than that will make him stop breathing," he added as he placed Victoria's drink before her.

"How much is it?"

"Fifty dollars a shot," the bartender replied sheepishly. Victoria gaped at him as he merely shrugged his shoulders. "What can I do? It's a rare and expensive whiskey. They only made twelve barrels of it."

"Here," Loki replied, handing him two $100 bills. "Give me four shots." The bartender nodded and immediately turned around, taking out of the whiskey bottles from the back. He took out four chilled shot glasses, popped the top of the whiskey open, and poured the gasoline-colored liquid into the shot glasses.

"Dude, are you crazy?" Victoria snapped, reflectively grasping his hand to prevent him from taking a drink. "You can die from more than one shot!"

"Are you worried about my welfare?" he asked with an infuriating smirk, causing Victoria to take her hand away and roll her eyes. "Your drinks are like water against my tongue in comparison to mead." And with that, he picked up the shot glass and downed it.

Both the bartender and Victoria watched Loki, expecting him to start clutching his throat and fall over to the ground.

Both the bartender's and Victoria's jaws dropped when nothing happened. "You are a _retard_," she laughed, poking him in the shoulder. "What was it like?"

"If you compare what I drank on a daily basis back then, this tastes unbelievably diluted," he stated simply, taking another shot, then another, and then another.

"God, what _are_ you made of, Loki?" she asked, staring at the array of empty shot glasses that filled the bar table. By now, there was definitely more than just four glasses. The bartender, who knew nothing about the male's nature, was completely flummoxed. He was already expecting that he'd lose his job by now.

"I'm just going to head to the dance floor, wanna come?" the blonde-haired female said, as she was nearing tipsy already by the three shots of limoncino. Loki raised an eyebrow at her for a second but didn't say anything and shook his head as he watched Victoria blend into the mass of people writhing and gyrating on the dance floor.

Then he saw her self resurface, and she was dancing, her eyes making connection with Loki's.

No. She wasn't dancing. She was _seducing_.

"_Here's the situation, I've been to every nation; nobody's seldom make me feel the way that you do." _The music seemed to blare louder.

Both eyebrows shot up as he watched Victoria grind to the music, then his eyes narrowed as he saw another man dance next to her. Something inside him was bubbling, he just didn't know what. It slightly annoyed him that of all his eons, he couldn't figure it out.

"_Please excuse me, I don't mean to be rude; but tonight I'm loving you." _

Loki didn't know what happened exactly, but suddenly she disappeared from his sight, swallowed by the mass of people dancing like worms.

He felt slightly uncomfortable when he finally lost sight of her.

"She's your girlfriend?" the bartender asked, pouring Loki several more shots of the expensive whiskey. He looked slightly drunk by now, even though he was just the one pouring the drink.

An insuppressible and honest smile of amusement curved the ends of his lips at the man's question.

"I do not particularly want to be killed just yet, so _no_," he replied, downing another shot.

"Ah, I see. She's the hard-to-get type?" the bartender laughed, knowing almost all the secrets and desires of the people that sat on his barstools.

Loki paused a moment before bringing the bottle of whiskey to his lips, as if considering the man's question.

Then he replied with all honesty, "_No_. I don't think she'll be that hard for me to get."

. . .

He wormed his way through the crowd, searching for Victoria. An uncomfortable and acidic feeling of nervousness was building up in his throat and was searing stomach when he couldn't find her in the bar. He went outside, still looking for her.

Loki's ears perked when he heard the sound of shuffling in one of the dark alleyways that threaded near the bar. His shoes left soft echoing sounds as he walked quickly through one of the narrow paths.

His green eyes, nearly luminous in the faint moonlight, doubled in size when he came upon a figure hunched over another in the darkness.

In an instant, a pair of pale lean hands shot out and grabbed the assailant by the shoulders and with lightning-fast speed, was thrown against the walls of the alley with a sickening crack. Loki was sure that he fractured one of that man's bones. The mortal man wheezed and whimpered in pain, writhing from the strong impact.

His eyes averted from the predator to the prey, which had hunched over in a ball, and had sunk to the ground. "I-I'm fine," she whispered shakily when he bent over in a worried stance to help her. Her blue eyes were welled up with glistening tears that threatened to fall.

Loki's mind was a puddle of confusion and fury as he brought his gaze back to the man who still hadn't moved from the spot. Nearly shaking with anger he grabbed the man by the neck and pinned him roughly to the wall, nearly strangling him. Gasps and gags left the man's mouth as he was brought up higher than his own height, to the point that his feet were dangling in the air.

"I hope you're ready to die," Loki hissed as his green eyes gleamed ferociously in the moonlight. His mind was nearly a blur of pure anger and wrath as his fingers tightened around the man's throat.

"Loki! Stop please," she said quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's scared shitless already; that's enough…for me."

Reluctantly his fingers loosened; and with a thud, the man fell to the ground. Loki felt Victoria's fingers wrap around his arm as she drew a shaky breath. The assailant scrambled uneasily to his feet and scampered off into the darkness, whimpering some foul language.

Loki turned around quickly when he felt her sink to her knees below him. He didn't know exactly what to say when she stared out into open space, her whole body shaking, and her haunting dead eyes were still.

"Come on," he said in the most comforting tone he could muster. "I'll bring you home." He bent over to carry her, almost regretting it as he gathered her in his arms. She was so cold and stiff as she lay in his arms. He would have mistaken her for a corpse if she had not gripped his shirt tightly, then stared up at him with her pooling sapphire irises.

"That was him," she whispered breathlessly, gulping for air. His green eyes narrowed down at her, as if asking her to broaden her statement.

"That was _him_. Wendy's…"

…

Loki had walked and carried Victoria all the way to her apartment; she had passed out cold on the way.

Fishing the keys out of her pocket, he jabbed it into the doorknob with one hand, and pushed the door open. Quietly and without a sound he walked to the bedroom and gently laid her like a child on the mattress. He pulled the blankets and placed them softly over her, causing her to stir in her sleep.

He saw a military uniform wrapped in dry cleaner's plastic hanging on the front of a cabinet. On the front, the embroidered name "Walters" could be read in black letters. For once, he actually just realized he had never known her last name, which was what mortals went by. It was much unlike Asgard, where they used the name of their father's.

Right when he was about to turn and leave, she blinked up a pair of tired blue eyes up him, rubbing the side of her face. "Please…please don't leave just yet. Can't you just lay here next to me, please?" she begged.

Loki sighed and removed his shoes as he sat on the edge of the bed. He moved quietly onto the bed until he was lying down on his back, a few inches away from Victoria. A weird sensation fluttered across his pale skin when she moved close to him, wrapping her arm around his waist. "Thanks."

He mumbled and inaudible reply as he looked down at her with wistful eyes. She was slowly falling back into slumber, her breathing becoming even once more.

She was so beautiful lying there quietly, with the beams of moonlight coming in from the window to rest on her perfectly balanced curves. She could be as harsh as a storm, but now she looked unbelievably delicate. Her golden hair, now slightly mussed up, fell in folds on her pale shoulders and framing her heart-shaped face.

And then came her unbelievably perfect pair of pink lips. They were just begging to be kissed, tempting all males that approached her to stare dreamily at them all day, hoping that they'll be able to place theirs on hers.

Something that he couldn't understand made Loki's heart lurch when he watched her quietly from where she lay next to him. She was so close to him right now; just a few more little movements and he could press his lips against her perfectly-shaped ones. He bent down.

Right before his lips could touch hers he stopped and immediately retracted himself, panting. What the hell was he doing anyways?

His heart beat fast when he moved away, pulled himself together, and scooted himself off the bed. Victoria's hand slipped off him and fell to the mattress with a dull thump. Stirring from sleep, she looked up at him with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Loki? What's wrong?" she asked softly, in a tone that almost made him weak in the knees. Her innocent expressions made him almost want to come back to the bed and kiss her madly. But he checked himself and made his way to the door.

"No," he replied coldly, closing the door behind him, walking off into the darkness of the apartment.

…

Victoria stared at the door for quite a while before curling up into a ball, wondering what had gone wrong. The unexplainable chilly-warmth that was lying next to her but a moment ago was gone, leaving only the cold in his absence. She loved his touch, yearned for his presence that made emotions conflicting within her. She couldn't understand what or why, but she enjoyed him yet hated her confused nerves go haywire when he was near. Now he was gone when she felt most frightened.

Then for once in many years, _she let tears finally fall._


	7. Super Asgard Gel

Okay, warning for this chapter! (No, there aren't any lemons…not yet ;D) It'll be choppy and the scenes will be changing rather quickly…D: Bear with me! And thank you for reading and for your reviews! It gives me inspiration and ideas!

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><p>When he quietly exited the apartment, he wanted to throw an automobile at someone. He paced furiously through the dark corridor, breathing heavily as he made his way out of the whole building. Loud rap music was playing below, not really helping with the atmosphere and inner tension that was building up within him.<p>

Good heavens, how hard he tried to resist the urge to stomp back up there, kiss her senseless, and have her for the rest of the night.

What's wrong? She had asked. Really, _what's wrong_? That was by far _**the**_ most senseless and mortal thing he'd ever heard in his whole existence. _I'm falling in love with you, but I'm trying to use you to get what I want._

That is what's wrong.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of his head, Loki closed his eyes, trying to breathe in deeply as he concentrated on a mental image in his mind. A man of average height, average features, average attitude, average everything. A business man, maybe?

_**WHOOSH!**_

Smirking briefly at his new reflection in a puddle, he continued on walking.

He walked out of the main street and into the alleyways, his shoes making faint echoes against the rough floor. Some thugs smoking and drinking by the sides sent curious glances at him. It would've made a normal human nervous, but he was a god – the god of mischief; and he would fear no puny mortal.

"We've never seen the likes of you 'round here," one of the men muttered. Loki, even in his fake façade, could smell the intoxicated breath of the thug and feigned a frightened look. "What the fuck are you doing here in our hood, eh?"

"N-Nothing, mister," Loki replied. "I was just passing by." He faked a frightened demeanor as he took a small step backwards from the unfriendly individual.

The thug grinned, pulling out a gun. "I'll teach you how to pass b-" His sentence never finished as Loki simply smiled, and the gun disassembled itself into different pieces, falling to the ground in a clatter. The man stared at Loki with his mouth open, then at his gun pieces that lay on the floor.

"Anyways," Loki began, in a tone much unlike the first time he spoke. "Do you know of a man named Jason Grant?"

…

He breathed in a deep intake of oxygen when he walked out of the apartment. Ah, fresh air. It felt like eternity when he was in that man's apartment. The smell of smoked joints had lingered in the atmosphere and clung to his nostrils.

Loki looked up at the window of the apartment, it was shattered and there were some tendrils of blood trickling down. A cold smile appeared on his lips as he reverted back to his normal form and continued walking out of the streets.

With an echoing snap of his fingers, the whole apartment went afire.

…

It was dark in the laboratory. Only a few lights were on, and the smell of rust and metal and heat was uncomfortable to the senses. Veiled in his invisibility, he roamed the long hallways and turns of the lab, not caring if he passed by anyone or if anyone felt a slight breeze as he walked quickly after two specific men.

The elder looked easy to manipulate, he had whitish hair, and judging by his demeanor, was a scientist. He had a nametag and ID pinned to his breast pocket, which Loki could somehow make out in the darkness.

"Erik Selvig." The name was quite familiar, yes. He had seen it before in Jane Foster's house. He must have been not only an acquaintance of hers in the field of science, but a close friend.

The other was a middle-aged African American man with an eye patch over one of his eyes, and was dressed almost completely in black. Loki considered him to be in charge of the whole building as he seemed to hold a great deal of information.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was what they called themselves, Loki found out.

"Legend tells us one thing, history, another," the man with the eye patch said. Loki's eyes followed his every movement as he walked towards a metallic briefcase, slowly opening the buckles.

Both Selvig and Loki peered within. The inside was lighted, and codes and numbers and intricate patterns that sparked with unknown energy. "What _is_ it?"

"Power, doctor," the eye patch man replied. "If we can figure out how to tap it."

A smile that wasn't of friendliness or goodwill blossomed on Loki's features. That would be _**very**_ easy to do.

"Maybe unlimited power," he continued, smiling at the doctor, then back at the briefcase.

Loki walked up close to the scientist so that he was within earshot of the man. "Well, I guess that's worth a look," he whispered.

Selvig looked wistfully at the contents of the briefcase, then looked up. "Well, I guess that's worth a look," he repeated.

Loki grinned hungrily to himself as the two left the room. His smile fell upon the suitcase as his fingers closed around it.

Everything was going out as planned.

…

Victoria gasped as she woke up from the dream. Her breath slowly caught, she mulled over the cloudy thoughts in her head. What was it all about anyways?

Blue eyes looked over to the side of the bed, where he had been lying down next to me much earlier, until something occurred and left abruptly. A scoff escaped her mouth when she remembered that she had cried when he was no longer in the room. How pitiful of me, she thought.

She didn't know exactly why the god attracted her so. He was the god of mischief, for Pete's sakes. He was definitely up to something bad, yet she felt so compelled to follow him, even to the ends of the earth.

All the feelings churning within her like a stormy ocean made her feel uncomfortable. She kept on the thoughts in her head as she gathered some clothes from drawers and a towel, then headed off to the shower. The worst part of it all was that she'd easily be discarded by him, like a toy that no longer ceased to amuse a child.

Her hand reached out for the door knob, but right before her delicate fingers made contact with metal-

"Fuck-! Oh god," she squeaked as the door swung open, revealing the male that had been plaguing her mind the whole time, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. His damp hair was slicked back once more, and little rivulets of shower water ran down his toned chest and arms. For being tall, slender, and lean she wouldn't have expected Loki to be even slightly muscular, but it was quite clear that she was wrong, as she stood before him with a flustered red face.

A smirk was barely insuppressible as he saw the female's obvious discomfort. A single eyebrow quirked upwards as green eyes twinkled mischief. "Yes?" he asked coyly, finally letting the smirk break free.

Victoria mumbled some snide remark in response as she pulled him out of the shower, stomped in, and shut the door behind her. When she heard him chuckle on the outside she barked "Shut up!" and turned on the faucet.

…

"All right," she mumbled to break the silence after several miles on the road. "I'd like to know, how do you keep your hair slicked back in place all the time? Super Asgard Gel? Or magic?"

"Neither."

Another painful moment ensued as they traveled another mile in utter silence. Victoria tweaked the radio on, and after a few scratchy sounds, a news report came in. _"In Lancaster, California, news of a fire broke out last night in Williston Street, burning down an apartment."_ Victoria's eyes narrowed on the road when she heard how close it was to her house. _"Casualties due to the fire are but one, the corpse of a man was found within the ruin, identified as Jason Grant."_

Victoria gaped at Loki for a few seconds before shaking her head and focusing her attention back on the road. She opened and closed her mouth several times, as if trying to find words to describe her utter shock. Her blue eyes spelled out a mixture of emotions that caused Loki to wonder for a few seconds. Rage? Or even happiness? He couldn't exactly point it out.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" she snapped. "Is that what you did last night?"

"Yes," he said sheepishly, telling half the truth. He averted his green eyes from the streetlights that zoomed past them in flashes. She looked emotionally spent – and he knew that he was the cause of it all, and he knew that he was as well. It was just that being alive for thousands of years, you learned to mask it.

She shook her head and sighed. "I know you can get away with it, but, Loki, you can't just up and murder someone, even though they deserve it."

"But he _did_," he protested childishly. "He hurt you before and would have done it again to you or to another if I had not stopped him."

"_No_ _one_ has the right to decide that," she cried, glaring at him. "You're not g-" He raised a slim eyebrow when she didn't finish her statement, and she sighed in exasperation. "I hate you, you know that?" she chuckled, attempting a grin.

Loki's mind immediately went back to the briefcase he had inconspicuously vanished in the back of the car.

He gulped inaudibly as he turned his head to the window so she wouldn't see his frazzled face.

"I know you do."

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><p>Fufufufu~ If you didn't see the after-credits scene, you wouldn't be able to understand the part with Dr. Selvig~<p>

Thank you for reading!

Review = cookies. I want cookehs! :D

/HotxBuns


	8. Deena Jones

Thank you SO much for the reviews! Thank you for reading!

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><p>"<em><strong>Hey."<strong>_

"Hmm?" Victoria blinked sleepily from the road ahead of her to the black-haired male sitting next to her in the automobile. "What is it?"

"We should find a place to rest for the night, don't you think? You are getting exhausted," Loki put in, looking up at the sky. It was already beginning to rain fat drops of water from thick grey clouds in the night sky. "And you haven't touched a single crumb of food since noontime."

She rubbed her eyes, trying to keep awake, then nodded in agreement. She did need some rest. She had been driving for more than seven hours straight. Switching on the windshield wipers, she peered through the blurring rain and saw a billboard with flashing lights that read "_**Motel.**_" Taking a right, she entered the parking space and put the car in park.

"They were right about the approaching storm," Victoria mumbled as she pulled her backpack out of the trunk of the car and followed Loki to the front desk. "Oh, look, they even have a pool," she pointed out on the way. "It's not like I'm going swimming in this weather, though…"

Loki pushed the door open, revealing a small front desk with a squat woman chewing bubble gum. She barely seemed to glance up at them through her Dame Edna-shaped glasses as she played solitaire. Her nametag read, "Deena Jones."

Finally after Victoria had dinged the bell a few times, she paid attention to them. She chewed the obnoxious stuff with her mouth open, looking both Loki and Victoria up and down. Her tiny pig eyes rested on Loki for a little while, as if thinking he was an interesting specimen. "What can I do for you?" she said in between chews.

"I'd like to check just for tonight for a room for two," Victoria said, taking out an I.D. Loki winked at "Deena," causing her to giggle and smile back at the dark-haired god. Victoria snorted as she pulled out a $50 bill.

"Oh! That won't be necessary, dear," Deena giggled as she bent over, making sure to show extra possible cleavage to Loki as she reached for a key. Went she straightened up, she had a key with the label 204 and handed it over to Victoria, whom she was barely paying attention to.

"Okay, that's it," Victoria snickered as she tugged on Loki's shirt, pulling him away. They both walked through the hallway that connected the rooms and climbed up the stairs to the small motel room. "It grosses me out whenever you do that, but I gotta say, that's just amazing," she admitted as she slid the key inside the lock and pushed it open.

"Mischief isn't the only thing I'm capable of, you know."

It was a medium-sized motel room, with a sofa bed, a large TV, a kitchenette, bath, and a bedroom.

"You can take the sofa," Victoria yawned sleepily as she tossed her backpack to nowhere in particular.

He sent a fleeting glance towards the large couch. "I beg your pardon? If I remember correctly, it was I who got this room for free," Loki smirked in his suave manner, taking a few steps towards her. His eyes darted from the nearby bedroom to Victoria. "…or we can always share, you know."

Victoria felt her cheeks light up like Rudolph's nose as she imagined what it would be like sharing a bed with a god. _Nope_. Not in her book. Well, at least…not _yet_. "No such luck for you," Victoria laughed as she fished out something from her pocket. "I'm just going out for a smoke, okay? Just go and take a shower…or watch TV or something, I don't know."

Before she could make her way back out of the door, he stepped in her path, blocking her from exiting the room. Victoria froze, her blood pumping madly, when he bent down so that his lips were close to her ear. Her insides churned and her head felt like it was going to implode from the tension that failed to release within her.

Although she couldn't see his face, she could feel his smirk burning into her flesh as he breathed out icily, "Take care, Victoria."

Interestingly enough, instead of leaving her skin tingling cold with his icy breath, her skin flushed heat when he left her presence, making his way over to the couch to watch television.

As soon as she walked out the door, she breathed a sigh of relief. What the hell was the guy up to, anyways?

It was pouring hard already when she walked down the first few steps of the stairs, and the distant sound of thunder rumbled through the heavens. It sent shivers and flashes through Victoria's head as she turned on her cellphone and searched through the phonebook for a particular number.

Ah, there it was.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up!" she hissed as she looked over her shoulder just in case. No one but a hallway. She walked on some more, trying to make a large distance between herself and the black-haired god of mischief.

"_Hello?" _

"Jane?" Victoria's ears pricked. "Jane, this is Vickie." She kept on walking until she had walked out near the pool, and she took refuge from under the umbrellas there.

"_Vickie? Oh, hey, what's up? And what's with the background? Is there a storm or something there in Cali?" _

"Yes, there's a thunderstorm right now. Jane, I've got something to tell you, I just couldn't tell you earlier because he-"

"_Oh, god, _no _way."_

"Yeah way, Jane. He's here with me. Well, he's in the motel room a little far away from me right now, because I'm near the poolside area and-"

Victoria stopped when she heard her older cousin on the other end of the line sigh.

"_Just be honest and tell me what's going on, Vickie." _

Unenthusiastically she recounted the tale of what had happened, from when he secretly took a ride with her to the rainbow plan at the Yosemite Park. She winced when Jane took another long sigh.

"_Look, Vickie. I'm your older cousin, and I'm just going to give you sisterly advice because I care about you. I know you like him. But, _please,_" _Jane paused.

Victoria felt a little sting at the pause, knowing that even though Jane truly cared and loved her, she doubted her at times because of her mental instability. She knew and understood that and she accepted it, trying her best not to be bitter about it.

"_Be careful, Vickie. I don't want you getting hurt because of him. You know that he's always up to no good. He's not just the god of mischief, he _is _mischief."_

The blonde female took out a cigarette and lit it, taking a deep intake and puffing it out. It was rather hard to smoke in this weather, with the winds blowing rain in all directions, messing up her cigarette and the phone connection.

"I will, Jane," Victoria sighed. "And the three wishes…to get Thor back to you safe will be one of them, okay? Gosh, I'm really _so_ fucking sorry, Jane."

She heard her cousin laugh cheerfully on the other end of the line. "Don't be! And that's very sweet of you, Vickie, thank you. But what are you going to do with the other two wishes?"

"Ah, well," Vickie exhaled smoke from her nostrils, "custody of Wendy or something like that. Anthony won't be much of a problem; I can see him or get him any time. But the third wish…I've no clue."

"All right, sorry, Vickie, but I need to go; Darcy is complaining about wanting to eat out again. You should head out for some food, okay? And please go inside soon and eat something, the weather sounds really horrible."

Victoria agreed and said her goodbyes, then hung up. She tossed the cigarette butt on the ground, squashing it beneath her Converse sneakers then shoving it aside where the rainwater drenched it.

She walked forward, out of the shelter offered by the poolside umbrella. She kept on walking near the edge of the pool, where she could see the lights shimmer like tiny holograms in the pool. The sharp rain hit her face like cold needles whipping against her skin. A shudder ran through her body and mind when thunder rolled through the clouds and forks of electricity sparked from the heavens to the ground. She froze to the spot, flashes of horrible battlefield memories haunting her conscience. The grasping of men her age or younger on her shirt, blood spurting out from some severed limb as they begged her to tell their sweethearts they were sorry they couldn't come home. The feeling of hopelessness returned to her memory when she tried her best to keep them alive, yet to no avail. She remembered the final quivers that racked their body, more dribbles of blood, then the grip on her uniform slackened, the eyes softened, their breath slowing down, the tears rolling quietly down their pale face and hers.

"_It's dangerous to be here during a storm, you know." _

A yelp left mouth as she pivoted sharply on her heel, where her gaze met that of the god of mischief's, a pair of bright green irises. The momentum and gravity caused her to stagger backwards to the pool, her arms flailing in the water-ridden air. His hand shot out to pull her back, but was useless as her momentum made him stumble forward and both of them fell with a loud _**SPLASH**_ into the pool.

Blue and grey clouded Victoria's vision and water entered involuntarily into her throat as she fought back to get to the surface. The rushing and deafening sound of water exiting her ears left her slightly deaf for a few seconds as she rose to the top. She sputtered water, gagging and coughing out the chlorine. Angrily, she pushed a handful of wet blonde locks out of her hair. Bobbing up and down at the water, she glared at the male who was smirking at her in the water, his black hair slightly mussed.

"You were right there the whole time, you prick!" she shouted angrily, splashing water in his direction.

A chuckle left his lips as he bobbed up and down in the pool. "Yes, I was. I was worried where you had wandered off to." There was a slight tone in his voice that Victoria detected as honesty; it was faint but it was definitely there. The look that he sent in her direction affirmed it.

"A while ago back in the motel room before I left, you said something you haven't before," Victoria waded through the pool, going near the edge where she wouldn't be afraid of drowning. Loki raised an eyebrow as if goading her on to broaden her statement. A smile graced her pink lips. "You called me by my name."

Loki scoffed. But before he could open his mouth to give a sarcastic reply, her mouth was placed over his, muting any words that could have come out.

For the second time that week, she kissed him. For the second time that week, his mind felt like it was on fire. His senses ran amok as her lips gently molded against his. He couldn't think of anything, all sense and perception of reality was lost as the only thing he could think of was Victoria and Victoria alone.

His whole brain wielded reluctance when she pulled away from him, and when she smiled and her dark blue eyes peered up into his, he couldn't restrain himself any more.

Before she could move away to the farther end of the pool where the pool ladder was, he placed a firm but gentle grip around her waist, preventing her from moving. He pulled her towards him, cupping her delicate face in his hands and kissing her fiercely, not ever wanting to let her go. With the same amount of passion she kissed him back, pressing gently against his chest for support. He snaked his arms around her slender waist, deepening the fire that resulted from their lips.

Loki gently removed his lips from hers, and a feeling of assurance swept across his senses when he heard her whimper when she had lost his contact. He moved himself now to her neck, trailing delicate butterfly kisses up and down her neck, every now and then nipping at the tender flesh.

His chest (and his pants) tightened when he heard Victoria moan his name in a breathy voice. His ears pricked when he heard the sound of need and want in her words. Pulling away once more, he stared deeply into her blue eyes, containing nothing but innocence and bliss. It almost made his heart sink when he saw how much she was falling, falling as fast as he was.

And in an instant he knew exactly what she meant when she smiled and pressed her pink lips against his cheekbone.

_In a few fluid motions he carried her out of the pool and up to the motel room, tiny pools of water left in the footsteps of their wake._

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><p>Ohohoho, yes the next chapter IS. (I don't even need to say <strong><em>what<em>**, do I? XD)

And YUP, I made you guys wait long for it on purpose :D Kidding XD

Please review! Reviews are cookehs! I LOVE COOKEHS!

/HotxBuns


	9. Bonnie and Clyde

The chapter all of you have been waiting for!

Thanks for the reviews! I hope you like this lemon! (re-edited :D)

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><p>As soon as the door closed behind him, his lips eagerly met Victoria's for another passionate lock. She slid down from his arms, throwing one arm around his neck as the two of them stumbled blindly towards the bedroom.<p>

Her lips, he could not get quite enough from it. The sweetest honey, the strongest mead, the smell of tuberoses on spring nights, all the scents and flavors mixed into a rhythm that made Loki's now semi-rational head to spin. The only rational decision he believed by now that he had made was when he didn't let Victoria exit the pool. That was the only thing that seemed to make sense to him now.

Their skin, which should have been frozen by now from the pool, were smoldering hot and sweating as they both fought back each other's kisses.

A gasp left Victoria's mouth as she stumbled over the edge of the bed, falling backwards onto the springy mattress. Loki's brain cells were going a million miles per hour as he saw her simply lying there, panting, sweating, cheeks flushed already, and her sultry blue eyes gazing up at him. And yet they had just begun.

Loki bent downwards toward her, gently tilting up her chin so that their eyes were in full access towards each other. She whispered his name, causing some invisible thorn to prick at his heart and his pride. He was at his breaking point now, he knew it. "Do you want this? I will not force you to do anything base for me, Victoria," he said in a soft tone. "I will stop immediately if you wish me to."

If only he knew how the heart behind her ribcage fluttered at his considerate words, foreign to the mouth of mischief. The confusion that lay deep within her head that muttered not to trust him. Yet she saw nothing in his eyes that gave away malice. And she was actually going to trust him in this.

Victoria pulled him close as she pressed her soft lips against his brow bone, inhaling the smell of a cold forest. Her lips moved against his skin, _"Yes. I want this, Loki."_

When he pulled away, her eyes were almost brought to tears when she could see no trace of mischief, trickery, or lying on his fine features. Not a single thread of hate or manipulation could be seen in his green eyes; actually it almost seemed to mirror hers, as if searching each other in a mad attempt at assurance.

As she slowly rose herself up, her fingers made their way to the hem of her shirt. With a quick upwards motion, her upper body was left in but a plain pink lacy bra. A scar where her kidney should have been caught Loki's eye; he bent down to kiss the round scar, causing her to smile in return.

He followed after her actions, unbuttoning the many buttons his shirt, mentally cursing himself for choosing to look proper in his dress. A smile escaped her lips as she saw him undoing them. _"Let me,"_ she whispered, taking his hands off his shirt, letting them dangle by his sides.

Loki's eyes widened slightly as she slowly unbuttoned each button, letting her lips press against the pale flesh that was exposed to her sight. A ragged breath left his lips when she had undid the rest of the buttons; his whole torso being lavished with gentle, teasing kisses from Victoria. Soon his shirt and hers were tossed somewhere around the bedroom, unnoticed. His whole torso was bare to her, revealing a surprising set of abs and a few scars she hadn't seen before.

With the low growl of a male's nature kicking in, he pushed Victoria onto her back so that he was hovering on top of her. A faint smirk of mischief playing against his features, he trailed his cool fingers from the tip of her chin all the way down to her bellybutton, letting her mewl in frustration as her chilly skin made contact with her searing hot one. Just by looking at lying there, her eyes closed, her breathing unsteady, her chest heaving up and down at his touch made him know he was in complete control.

A half-moan escaped Victoria's lips when Loki pressed his against hers, was swallowing any notion of sound that begged to escape. The need rushed all over his senses, coating his skin and mind, urging him on.

Long fingers nimbly unclasped her bra, which was thrown over his shoulders immediately. In an instinctive reaction, Victoria motioned to bring her hands over her chest, but was stopped by Loki when he gently closed his fingers around her wrists and pinned them over her head. She whimpered slightly.

"Don't be embarrassed, you are **_beautiful_**," Loki whispered with all truthfulness, before retreating to her soft and full breasts, a perfect size for both his hands. His tongue darted at the rosy erect nipple, and with his free hand caressed the other breast. Victoria's moans were like music to his ears.

Her jeans weren't much of a problem. Loki simply fingered down the zipper, tugged at the pant legs, and in a whoosh, her long legs were in perfect view. His lips kissed the warm skin of her thighs as he fished off the panties in a fluid motion and was tossed to some random spot on the floor.

Victoria's fingers pressed against his crotch, causing his breath to hitch slightly. She unzipped his pants, and in a few seconds both his pants and boxers were gone. A tiny smirk spread to her lips as she eyed his length; it definitely had to be longer than ten inches, if that was physically possible.

Then she remembered something.

This was a **_god_**.

Sticking her tongue out, she grasped his cock, letting her tongue tentatively slide up and down. When she earned a moan from his lips, she twirled her tongue on his head before plunging him in her mouth. Loki was glad she couldn't see him toss his head back, trying to even out his breathing as shocks of pure pleasure spread warmth throughout his whole body. His fingers trailed through her still-damp golden waves, feeling his body involuntarily thrust slowly in and out of her warm mouth.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he felt himself nearing the edge. Victoria quickly moved herself off as she noticed it, earning a look of complete frustration and confusion. He couldn't help himself anymore.

Gently, he pushed her against the bed once more, staring deep into the blue pools that were her eyes. He pressed his lips gingerly to hers, silencing moans that came from both their mouths as he slowly entered into her, filled her, and spread her. Spasms of pleasure rocked both their bodies as he began to move, slowly at first, then at a maddeningly inhuman speed.

Nothingness began making sense as the rational was lost within the moment; everything was a blur to the two of them as their bodies rocked and knit against each other at a feverish rate. Fingers were threaded through each other's hair, hands were swarming against each other's chests, tongues battled, and moans were made harmoniously.

Victoria let out a strangled gasp as she felt him brush against a pleasure point; Loki upon hearing this, aimed against it, earning a jumbled mass of moans and uneven breaths. He grunted when he felt himself about to come ; Victoria's walls were closing tight upon him.

With two moans mixed into one, they both came as they clutched on to each other like a lifeline, refusing to let go. The aftershocks made them quiver slightly as they both rode out the rest of their climaxes breathlessly.

A tiny gasp leaves his mouth when he pulls himself out of her, the numb throbbing to be replaced by a slight ache of separation. He rolls over to lie next to Victoria, who is also breathing heavily; her eyes closed as her grip on the sheets loosen. For a second he thought he had gone too far as if he had hurt her, but all his doubts cease when her eyes slowly open. Placing a tender kiss on his sweaty temple, she lay quietly next to him, resting her head against his chest.

His hand reached for the blankets, drawing it up and over their bodies, sealing in the warmth. Green eyes gaze silently at the sleeping female beside him, a picture of complete and utter peace.

Tears threaten to fall as he had just realized she had given herself to him freely. And there was no look of suspicion on her delicate features when she had said "yes." She didn't know what he was up to. Those thoughts made his heart slowly crumble within him.

Tentatively he laid a gentle kiss on her forehead, before he sunk into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Victoria and Loki lay sleeping there, unaware of the black sedans that were trailing on the road, searching for them.

**_Innocence._**

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><p>Oh yes, I always kill with teh cliffhangers :B<p>

I hope you enjoyed it, and the lemon wasn't that crappy ._.

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/HotxBuns


	10. SHIELD

Thank you all so much for the reviews! Thank you for reading! And thank you to the ones who gave me ideas and tips (especially on the previous chapter :D)! I really had no clue 6.6 I hope you like this chapter!

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><p>My eyes flickered slightly in the room I was in. I was definitely dreaming, as I had never seen such an odd room. The walls glimmered in the light and shadows cast by the flickering lamps. Banners of different sizes hang on the wall, waving in the breezeless air.<p>

My eyes widen as I see no other but the black-haired god, dressed in an elaborate black outfit with a long black cloak over his shoulders with silver trimmings. He stared up at an older looking man with white hair and a beard; he had a golden piece over his right eye. Dressed in fine robes, this man held a fatherly yet kinglike impression before Loki. By this point I had the person pieced together. It was Odin, the king of Asgard.

Loki's eyes darted in no direction in particular, as if in complete confusion. "Why?" he breathed.

"You were an innocent child."

"No." Loki's expression was a mixture of cold and silent rage that threatened to burst at any second. "You took me for a purpose. What was it?" Odin didn't reply, he merely gazed mournfully down at his son.

"_**TELL**_ _**ME**_!" Loki shouted, causing me to shudder at his burst. His emerald eyes welled up with tears, and it was obvious he hated himself to show any weakness. It hurt me to see him like this and I walked up slowly towards him. When I came up, I realized that they didn't notice me standing there, even though I made coughing noises in the back of my throat.

"I thought I could unite our kingdom as one day bring about an alliance, bring about an unlimited peace," Odin replied with a father-like patience, "through you."

A sharp pain stabbed my subconscious when I saw him on the verge of tears. "What?"

"But those plans no longer matter."

Loki scoffed coldly at the All-Father. "So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you have use of me," he spat out.

"My duty is in my works-"

"You could have told me what I was in the _beginning_!" he fumed. "Why didn't you?"

"You're my son," Odin stated simply. His single eye spoke nothing but the truth and complete love for Loki. "I wanted only to protect you from the truth."

"Why? Because-because I-I-I'm a monster whom parents tell their children about at night?" Loki snorted angrily. The All-Father sighed wearily and sat down on the steps. "Oh! It all makes sense now, why you favored Thor, all these years, because no matter how much you claim to love me, I never was your son!" Loki breathed in unevenly. "You just don't want a frost giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!"

Loki drew in a shaky breath as he saw his stepfather sigh and lose consciousness on the steps. Immediately he rushed to his side, checking on Odin. "Guards, help!" Loki shouted as he cradled the old god in his arms.

Right before I could rush towards him to help, the scene changed abruptly, tiny pixels flying in the air and reassembling a new picture. "What…?"

I was stander in a room much more odd than the first. A large tree-like crystal thing stood in the center, throbbing light energy with every second like a heartbeat. Loki was there in the scene again, except dressed in armor and an interesting helmet and a long, sharp spear. There was a new character, a tall and beefy blonde guy with long hair and a small beard. In his hand was a hammer. Oh, god, that was Thor. Loki's elder brother.

Jane's-

"Why? Why have you done this?" Thor asked.

"To prove to father that I, I am a worthy son. When he wakes, _I_ will have saved his life. _I_ would have destroyed that race of monsters; and _I_ will be true heir to the throne!" he snarled. I shivered at the tone of his voice; I had always known it to be cold, but not this angry or cruel. It was nothing like the way I had heard him speak before.

"You can't kill an entire race," Thor breathed.

"Why not?" he scoffed. "What is this newfound love for the frost giants? You could've killed them all with your bare hands!"

"I've changed," Thor said simply, staring his brother down.

"So have I."A tiny yelp left my mouth as Loki struck his brother across the face with his spear. Thor grunted at the sharp pain. "Now fight me." Loki struck again, unbelievably rough and quick, causing his older brother to fly back a few steps and land heavily on his back.

"I never wanted the throne!" the god of mischief shouted. "I only wanted to be your equal."

"I will not fight you brother!" Thor yelled back, almost on the verge of breaking as well. There was anger tempered by sadness in his eyes for his younger sibling.

"I'm not your brother. I never was," hissed Loki.

"Loki, this is madness!"

"Is it madness? Is it? _IS_ IT?" Loki snarled. "I don't know what happened to you on earth to turn you so soft! Don't tell me it was that woman!" He paused, and I was shocked to see angered tears welling up in his green eyes. He smirked. "Oh! It _was_! Maybe, when we're finished here, I'll pay her a visit myself!"

This caused Thor to yell angrily, raising his hammer as both Loki and he charged.

"STOP IT!" I shouted, but before they touched, the vision stopped once more and I was standing in pitch black darkness. I breathed unevenly, frightened. "Hello? What's going on?"

"Child," I heard a soft female voice say. It sounded old and motherly, like it had seen many sorrows and woes that had befallen her children. "Child, you have seen all the sides there are to the god of mischief."

I gulped and nodded in the darkness. "You have seen the subtle and inconspicuous displays of his affection for you, his passion, his anger, and his wickedness." The female voice trembled at the last part, then sighed.

Suddenly, a bright light shone, revealing a tall woman before me, dressed in a queenly white dress, her hair looking like it had been made of gold hung around her shoulders. She looked old, but elegant in her bearing. Her complete being exuded elderly radiance and god-likeness.

"Loki is a monster, yet you accept him," she says quietly, her eyes devoid of any emotion. "Yet you stay by him the same way I would have."

"Who are you?" I ask dumbly. Of all the gods and goddesses I have read of in the Norse mythology, I couldn't exactly guess who this woman was.

"Loki's mother, Frigga," she breathed out. The hairs on my skin prickle. She was the queen of Asgard, the wife of Odin, mother to Thor, a goddess of prophecy. "As any mother would do, I would stand quietly by my son's side, waiting for him to change. Urging him on to repent of his ways. A true wife would advise her husband and counsel her children when needed. You, Victoria Walters Foster, can you?"

I shivered at the mention of my father's last name. It wasn't often that I was called that, since my dad wasn't married to my mother. I blinked up sheepishly at the goddess, who was asking me such serious questions. "Why do you ask me this?"

Frigga smiled down at me like she was watching an adorable child. "You know not of what my son, Loki, has in store. I understand and believe your viewpoint as well, dear child. Know this, my son is up to no good. I advise you as a mother would her child that you be wary of what he does. For some reason my heart swells with pride when I see that you keep in secretly in yours. I have been watching you and him for days now, and I see the way the two of you look at each other. Both of you hide it under your secretive ways, but I am a mother, and I know when children hide." My cheeks reddened at this.

"Your son," I say slowly. "What is he planning?"

The goddess' back stiffened at my question. "I do not know exactly what, but it will cause great havoc and death to many, Victoria, if it is carried out." She bent down towards me, "But he is torn between two decisions: his heart or his pride. He will have to choose only one in the end."

My mind was baffled. Exactly what the fuck was Loki up to?

"Listen to me, Victoria," she sighed, holding me by my shoulders. "My son loves you, and would go against his rational thinking for you. Thor's foolishness will be nothing compared to my youngest son's acting." She let go of my shoulders and sighed deeply. She suddenly looked a bit older than she was, looking like a real mother, and not a goddess. "You can easily manipulate him the way he would do you. But for you, he would crush the stars."

"Wake up now," Frigga whispered softly to me. Then her eyes widened in alarm, causing me to become slightly nervous. "Child, you must wake up _**now**_!"

…

I drew in a ragged breath at the startling end of my dream. All right, that was freaking weird.

Bringing my hand up to my forehead, I saw that Loki was no longer lying beside me. Clothes were strewn in random places on the floor; I could see my bra and my shirt lying in mussed heaps on the ground. My cheeks flushed with heat as I remembered what had happened last night.

"Sir, we want a clear and honest answer," I heard a voice outside the door say. My ears pricked with attentiveness and curiosity as I neared the door, my fingers hovering over the metal door knob. Something frightened be for a second as I backed away from the door. Eyes darting to the window, I left a tiny part of the curtain to see what is going on outside. A gasp left my mouth as I immediately dropped the edge of the cloth, my heart beat hammering in my chest.

Why were there so many men in suits and shades outside?

Quickly, I put on my clothes, gathering them up from the floor. I pressed my ear to the door, quietly listening to the conversation taking place behind it.

"I have already answered your question clearly and honestly, Agent Coulson." That was definitely Loki's voice. My heart skipped a beat, and not in a good way. "I do not have any briefcase on my person or in this motel room. A backpack, yes, but that belongs to my fiancée." At the last part of his words, I wanted to slam my head against the door, if it wouldn't cause a commotion. What the hell was going on?

"I understand, sir. But we'll still have to do a thorough search throughout this whole room of yours, we'll have to frisk the two of you, and also search your car," Agent Coulson stated simply, and the sounds of heavy footsteps entering the motel room. I removed my ear from the door and took a few steps back. What were agents doing in there?

My jaw dropped when I heard shouts behind the door, none of which I could discern as Loki's voice. "Whatever you are doing, sir, please drop it!" could be heard in the shouts. There was a sudden loud crackling sound, the sounds of thuds, then silence.

Frantic thoughts raced through my mind as to what was happening behind the door. Taking a few steps back, I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to clear my thoughts through. The sounds of slow footsteps approaching the door made the hairs on the back of my head stand straight up. Quickly, the door knob turned and the door was pushed open.

"What's going on?" I said breathlessly, staring up at the black-haired individual with a solemn look imprinted on his features. He stood in between me and the door, but I could definitely see some bodies lying on the ground. My breathing hitched. "What the fuck did you do?" I screamed as he came up closer to me.

I jerked my face away from him when he gently placed his hand on my cheek. His eyes were blank as he sighed, "They're just sleeping; but it won't be for long until they wake up." Loki turned his back to me, walking out of the room. "I'd advise you to get dressed _quickly_. We need to leave as fast as possible."

The door closed coldly behind him.

…

The next hour and a half we drove in painful silence. I was scared, really. Even though we had both eaten earlier at a diner, my stomach still felt empty and churning with acid. Was this what Frigga was telling me about Loki? I really didn't know what to think. My mind was quite blank as I drove through the exit. We were nearing the destination point. It was just about thirty miles away.

Above, the skies were still heavy with clouds that rained heavy, fat droplets. Thunder still rolled every now and then, causing me to shiver as I hit the windshield wiper on.

"Loki…" I began, gulping silently. "What's in the briefcase?" The words came out unbelievably cracked from my mouth. I was really scared; and by this far, I knew that he did have it, whatever it was.

It almost seemed as if we had passed a mile until he spoke up, "What are you talking about?"

"Damn it, Loki!" I shouted, gripping tighter on the wheel. "What the hell are you up to? You definitely stole something from them, so tell me _**why**_!"

He glanced briefly in my direction, emerald eyes completely devoid of any emotion. It annoyed me how he looked at me so indifferently, much unlike how he had last night. Last night he had whispered my name over and over like a prayer, looked into my eyes as if he was looking at a person he loved. But now, he looked at me like a toy that he was growing tired of.

"Within the briefcase is a power that only a being higher than a mere mortal can use," he stated. "I, of course, am much higher than mortals. With that power I can destroy worlds that are not worthy of existence. Wipe out territories of the enemies of Asgard. Annihilate the fools who dared to believe that I would never be their equal. Then they'll know that wisdom, chaos, and sorcery can be their equal." His eyes and whole demeanor was the same as that when he was fighting his brother. His snarling voice frightened me, but I didn't show it. I wanted to shout back at him angrily, but I kept myself calm.

"Loki," I said in the softest voice I could muster, "stop saying that you're not their equal. You're taking this too far now. "

"You wouldn't understand my situation, you're a _human_," he spat out, saying the last word as if it had been the dirtiest thing ever. "You weren't stolen from birth, Victoria. If you were a part of the Aesir, one of the gods, you would not even look upon me in disgust! Odin stole me from Jotunheim, stole me from my father as an attempt-"

"To unite two kingdoms," I finished. He looked shocked, and then grew a dark gaze that made me feel cold and numb all over.

"I'm a monster, Victoria," he said in a low tone, staring up at the cloudy skies above. "Chaos, mischief, death, destruction is what makes me. It's what my existence and my whole being is comprised of. If you saw me for what I am, if you could only see the plans I had in store for all the worlds, you wouldn't be here at all."

I scoffed, "And yet I'm driving you to do your world destruction, Loki." Quietly, hoping that he doesn't hear me, I add, "It's funny what love will make you do."

The thunder outside rolled louder.

…

"If I had _loved_ you, I wouldn't have hurt you this much," Loki stated coldly, not daring to bring his eyes into contact with Victoria's blue gaze.

Saying those words was an attempt of making her hate him. He didn't want to share the burden of the stupid earthly romance he was already knee-deep in. He wanted to rid himself of the invisible knives that she had pinned to his heart and mind.

Everything about Victoria made his head spin wildly. He forgot about everything important when she came into his view. He loved her with all his cruel being, yes, but he didn't want to. He wanted to keep her away from him as far as he could, although he knew in the process it would kill him if he did.

How he wanted to just reached over and kiss her senseless, to hold her under him as he lavished her whole body while he whispered words of affection in her ears. He loved her madly and furiously. But he blindly refused to accept it, making his love for her become all the brighter.

She smirked behind the wheel, not even bothering to glance at him. "I know you don't, Loki."

The knives were now pushed deeper into his heart.

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><p>._. So I guess this was pretty much just a filler chapter...? I really don't know XD I hope you liked it nonetheless, what with their f'd up bipolar relationship...I think it's because they're too much like each other, you know?<p>

Anyways, please click that button down below for a review! Please give me your thoughts, ideas, and critiques! Reviews = cookehs! I luff cookehs!


	11. Falling Up

Thanks for the comments/reviews/critiques! They really make my day! They are like cookehs to meh :D

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong><span>Victoria's POV<span>**

I wasn't really up to hiking. Nor was I up to climbing steep places either.

We had parked the car nearly half a mile away from where we were walking, and even though Converse shoes are comfy, after a while they get really tight. The weather had cleared up by now and the sun was slowly peeping out, but the uneven ground was still squishy, wet, muddy, and puddled with rainwater everywhere.

"Loki," I call, stepping over a puddle. "Wait for me, you walk too quickly, you ass."

He carelessly flung me a glance over his shoulder, but didn't slow down his fast-paced walking as I huffed to keep up with him. He had been silent all the while, not bothering to talk or to respond to me at all.

It hurt. It really did. I can't believe that I actually thought-

I'm sure it showed on the outside, no matter how hard I had tried to fake it. I really was being used as a toy. By this time, whatever compassion or love I had was being reduced to a tiny flicker. The only reason why I was here was for Jane and for Wendy, I kept telling myself. I struggled against the urge to grab a tree branch and prod him hard in the ass with it. Just to fuck with his mind.

My eyes darted every now and then to the briefcase that he had pulled out of the trunk. How the hell did I not notice it there earlier? Ah, well he probably used magic on it. Jerk. And by now, whatever spell he had cast on those agents had probably worn off. They were probably still running after us.

"HEY!" I shout angrily and as loud as I could muster. Much to my surprise, he stops and turns around, an impudent look of boredom written on his face. The laziness in his eyes almost screams "What?" in my direction. "When will you grant me my wishes?"

I could almost feel him resist the urge to roll his eyes. "And what are those wishes, pray tell?"

"One," I wheeze, catching up to him so that we were face to face. "Help Thor get to Jane and do not hurt him. Two, I receive custody of Wendy or at least let me be able to see her often and that she's in the hands of a person I can really trust."

I could almost see the cogs and wheels in his brain literally working as he absorbed and calculated the words I had just said. For but a brief moment, there was a flash of mischief and cunning in his eyes that made me slightly nervous. He was up to something, as usual.

"Those are only two wishes," he replied in a silky voice.

"I know," I said. "I couldn't think of a third. Don't do something stupid? As if you'd actually do that."

I could've sworn I felt his eyes scorch the back of my head as I walked on ahead.

Was there really any point in carry on this stupid little play? Surely, he probably wouldn't even keep to his word. There wasn't any use for following him. So why the fuck was I following him if there was no point? An answer was whispered within my brain, something like my conscience (because I was sure as fuck it wasn't common sense) or even someone else's voice pointing out the obvious. I pushed the little voice to the back of my head.

…

Loki's mind was thinking and plotting as he watched her walk ahead of him. She just wanted two wishes; she had mentioned – implied – a rather interesting third wish. But no, he didn't want to fulfill that one. Not by long shot.

His eyes widened as he saw Victoria stumble over a root and mutter a few curses. Something in his ribcage pricked when he saw the slight impression of pain in her features. Loki saw her try to get up but fail as she sat back down with a pained expression on his face. She scowled at him as he crouched low and squatted on the balls of his feet.

"Allow me. Would you like me to kiss away the pain?"

Much to his surprise, she merely scoffed, but didn't pull her foot away as he took her gingerly and laid her foot on his thigh. His fingers delicately traced around the bone of her ankle, and then gently tugged. Victoria whimpered quietly, turning her face to the side so that her face wouldn't be visible to Loki. He continued on massaging and stretching the sprained calf and ankle, ignoring the pained whimpers and mewls that left her mouth.

"You're enjoying this aren't you, you diabolical prick?" she snapped angrily, gripping the fallen tree beneath her. "Mother…FUCK."

"That is very eloquent, Victoria."

In his current position as he was squatting slightly lower than Victoria, the god of mischief had a perfect viewing position of her. The new sunlight that pierced through the branches glistened on her hair, making it look almost gold, and framing her pretty doll-like features. A pair of half-lidded blue eyes sparkled from underneath thick lashes, and her small nose pointed upwards slightly. It made him smirk as he realized the only makeup she was wearing was some red lip gloss, slathering temptingly over her luscious lips.

He remembered that night when they were both in the pool; when he had prevented her from leaving and had embraced the fact that he was, indeed, maddeningly in love with this mortal.

How he wanted to just close his eyes in the hopes that when he'd open them, everything would be better again. He had the choice to swallow his pride and get her, or carry out his plans and lose her.

"Victoria," he muttered quietly, ignoring the insult she had hurled at him. "I'd like to apologize-"

"Look, look," she interrupted, holding her hands up, "I really-"

Her words were cut off as the loud sound of helicopter blades rent the air. Both Loki's and Victoria's eyes snapped upwards as they saw a big, black chopper in the distance. His stomach dropped. He didn't even have to be told that that helicopter belong to S.H.I.E.L.D. and was coming right after them.

Loki sighed and stood up as Victoria put her rubber sneakers back on, wincing as she stood. He rolled his eyes. "Feels a bit better," she mumbled, tentatively placing her weight on it. "Thank you."

"Can you walk?" he asked quickly, picking up the briefcase he had placed on the ground. Victoria took a few steps forward, still hobbling slightly. He rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand, pulling her behind him as he quickly returned to his pace.

"What are you doing?" she shouted as stumbled behind him, glaring at the back of his shirt. He knew her eyes would have widened, because in reality, there was no "back of his shirt" to glare at. It was just thin air. Victoria glanced at her arm, only to see the same. "That's just awesome," she chuckled, trying to keep up with his pace.

"We're nearly there," he stated, readjusting the invisible briefcase as both Victoria and he jumped over a rock. "Do you see the waterfall? I believe that was the largest mentioned in the map."

She raised a pair of invisible eyes ahead. Yes, there was the waterfall ahead, and even from a great distance, was dazzlingly majestic in its height. As they came closer, and the falls grew larger in view, she noticed an enormous rainbow that hung over the top. "That's the Bifrost, isn't it," she breathed out.

"Yes, the Bifrost," he replied, in an almost regretful tone. "We're almost there."

The helicopter was coming close, and Loki was definitely sure they had equipment that could see straight through invisibility. Either way, he didn't drop his pace or show himself or Victoria. They had already scrambled up the branches and the steep uphill incline; Loki every now and then carrying her quickly up rocky steps; Victoria every now and then thanking invisibility for masking the dark blush on her cheeks.

"We finally made it," she breathed out loudly, clutching her chest as they made it to the top.

They were still quite far from the waterfall itself, but they were on the same level as the Yosemite Falls. Maps and tourist guides were definitely not lying when they said that being at the Falls gave you a breathtaking view of the world. Victoria's breathing stopped when her eyes gazed far across the vast expanse of national reserve. With the sun-after-the-storm glistening down on the tree tops, covering each and every part of the forest below with golden sunshine, everything that lay before her eyes looked something like a glimpse of heaven. The thundering of the water crashing below on the rocks was unbelievably loud and deafening that brought her mind back to earth. "It's so beautiful," she muttered, letting go of Loki's hand.

He was slightly disturbed as she walked away, and she became visible. Loki would have immediately followed and grabbed her hand if she hadn't made his heart skip a few beats. His green eyes gazed longingly after her as he said quietly, "It is. But it is nothing in comparison to Asgard." When she nodded briefly, he couldn't help but feel that Asgard glowed dimly in comparison without her.

"Shit," she mumbled in shock as she felt something sting and bury itself into her right arm. Loki's green eyes widened as he saw red blossoming on the cloth of her t-shirt. Both of their eyes snapped upwards as they saw the helicopter hovering over them, the blades sending large gusts of air that flattened the branches of the nearby trees. Ignoring her cry of pain and protests that she could run, he scooped her up in his arms and ran as fast as his long legs carried him, almost flying over the grass and rocks below them.

He applied pressure against her wound as he cast a glare at the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter that was gaining fast on them. He was almost there. Almost near the top of the waterfall.

A smile crept up to his lips as he saw the rainbow disappear – he was right on track. If one was right by the side of a rainbow, it would be invisible. One had to be at a certain angle to see a rainbow.

"Drop all your weapons, sir," came a voice on the loudspeaker. "Or else we will be forced to shoot again."

He shot another glare at the men inside the S.H.I.E.L.D.; he could make out one of them, a slightly balding man in his thirties dressed in a black suit and shades. Agent Coulson, he had called himself back at the motel room. Ignoring the warning, he sped up faster, only to irk those in the chopper, causing them to start shooting at the ground, near his feet.

Loki was too fast for them as he kept on speeding towards the fountain. It was barely forty meters away from him, and the distance was shortening fast. Thirty, twenty five, twenty, fifteen, ten came the waterfall. The bullets being shot were closing in on him. He bit down on his lower lip as he felt something explode onto his left shoulder blade. The pressure was enough to break a mortal man's back, but instead he tripped from the impact, causing him to let go of both Victoria and the suitcase.

…

**Victoria's POV**

A yelp died in my throat as I felt myself falling from the cliff, and the briefcase with me too. Time bent and went slowly as I saw the sickening drop below. My gut churned with the horror of crashing headfirst to my death. What a sick way to die. I had heard of some stories that plunging into the water higher than twenty feet was almost the same as plunging into concrete.

I never fell any farther, but saw the metallic briefcase make its way down, down, down the waterfall, lost within the frothy crashes of the thunder waters. Looking up, I saw Loki's green eyes gaping down at me as his grip around my wrist tightened. His eyes, which were but a few minutes ago bored and indifferent, spoke volumes of fear and…longing.

My mind immediately snapped back to the briefcase that was perhaps at the bottom of the waterfalls by now. He had let his dream slip out of his fingers rather than lose me. I struggled against the tiny tears that prickled in the corners of my eye. He actually did that. He actually chose me. I couldn't believe it.

The scream that was stuck in my throat escaped as he suddenly lurched forward, his eyes opened wide. My heart thumped hard in my chest as I saw dark red creeping up to the front of his shirt.

"Don't you _dare_ let go, Victoria," he hissed breathlessly as he slowly pulled me up. The thundering sound of the crashing falls drowned in my ears as I could barely make out the rest of his words. "You've got to trust me, Victoria," Loki pleaded, sending a glance over his shoulder to where the helicopter was hovering. Some men in black suits and shades were jumping out now, some of them looked like they were carrying equipment and weapons. "You've got to trust me!"

"What?" I demanded to know as he quickly pulled me up and buried me in his chest, encasing me with his arms. Blood rushed and pumped angrily into my ears as I felt him move a few hesitant steps. Fuck. My. Life.

There was no way in the fucking mad world that he was doing this.

"Hold on," he whispered, pressing my head against his chest and tightening his grip around me. "Close your eyes." If we both weren't on the verge of falling down a waterfall of some one hundred fucking feet or more or get shot to death by a bunch of crazy government people, I would've taken the time to actually kiss him.

And then he walked off the cliff, down, down, down, down the waterfalls.

I muffled a scream in my throat by burying my face in his chest, blood pumping madly in my ears from fright.

**_"HEIMDALL, OPEN THE GATES!"_** he shouted loudly, actually audible and clear over the thundering resonance of the cresting waters beside us.

Suddenly, I no longer felt like we were falling.

Instead, I heard a sound similar to a thunderclap, except a thousand times louder, that it overpowered the sound of the waters. I felt like my skin was being stretched, sucked, hosed down, and electrocuted all at the same time as I refused to open my eyes or move my head from Loki's chest. Thousands of random involuntary thoughts filled my mind, tracing psychedelic and horrific mental images in my mind, almost as if I was on drugs.

My stomach felt sick, my head felt like it was being smashed, the wound in my arm throbbed painfully.

Then with a loud thud, my vision gave out.

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><p>:D Ohohohohoho~ Change of events :D I hope you liked this chapter! Please take the time to click that button down below and make me happy :) Reviews = Cookehs. Cookehs = happy me. Happy me = more chapters!<p>

/HotxBuns


	12. Back again

Thank you for the reviews and comments. . . it makes me happy! Without further ado, here's chapter 12!

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><p>Loki coughed and sputtered as he sunk down onto his knees, the unconscious form of Victoria still cradled in his arms. Now, that was quite a turn of events. Never in his witty little brain did he ever calculate that that was actually possible. And this mortal woman had actually taken the best of him.<p>

"What brings _you_ back to Asgard, Prince Loki?"

He retreated his gaze to the bulk of muscle and armor standing before him. The trusty gatekeeper/sentinel gazed down upon him with wary golden eyes that spoke of wisdom and old age, for a warrior. "_Heimdall_," he rasped as he got to his feet. "I don't need the sarcasm right now." He brushed past him, carrying Victoria as small trails of blood followed behind him. Heimdall's eyes burned into Loki's bleeding back as he said nothing, but kept his guard before the entrance of Asgard.

Loki couldn't believe himself. Well, he couldn't believe what was going on, anyways.

For a mortal and travelling through the Bifrost for the first time, it was understandable that she had lost consciousness. The Bifrost definitely wasn't the most comfortable way of travelling through worlds, but it was the most efficient and quickest way. For an immortal, there would not be much of a problem traveling for the first time, they would most definitely just feel nauseous or throw up when they landed. But for a mortal, it was a different story. They were too delicate and fragile for such godlike transportation. Throw in the fact that she was losing blood, and that definitely added to her current situation.

It was possible that he could heal her, yes, through sorcery, but it would surely cause some damage to her health. Had she been an Asgardian, it would've been easy; just a little bit on concentrating and _bam_! – she was back on her feet and chipper again. Even though he was back in Asgard, with all of his magic and power back, she was still a mortal and needed real medical attention.

…

Every now and then, Thor sent a few sympathetic glances at Odin. It was obvious that he had quite a facade on, but it was obvious that both he and his father mourned for the loss of Loki. It was true that the latter had caused a great grief for all of those in Asgard, yet they still held a spot in their hearts for the young god of mischief.

"Almighty All-Father!"

Everyone's attention was caught by the voice of one of the guards echoing through the great hall. The guard panted and held up his hands. "Almighty All-Father, there is someone who wishes to see you-"

_"Father!"_

Odin rose from his seat as everyone within broke into hurried whispers of gossip and talk. Asgardian eyes stared at the entrance of the hall in shock, at the individual who stood there. The King of Asgard's one good eye narrowed at the man who had interrupted the guard's speech, then widened in a mixture of shock and joy.

"L-Loki…My son."

Thor stood up from his seat abruptly, causing it to topple and fall backwards on the ground, a loud clang echoing throughout the place. Such a painful and tense silence hung in the air as everyone's eyes focused on the entrance. He had always imagined in his wildest dreams that his younger brother would return some day by a miracle, and had prepared secretly for the day when he'd walk through those doors, but at this moment, he was too shocked to remember what he had rehearsed for.

Sif and the Warriors Three sent a few worried glances at Thor and Odin as they eyed the long-lost prince, carrying a female – a _mortal_ female in his arms. In a flash of an eye, they drew out their weapons, ready for combat in an instant. They, too, had been forced to serve once under the short-lived reign of Loki as king, following the stupidly strict rule to leave Thor to die on earth. They knew of Loki's inconsistent, devious, and mischievous ways, and were certain this was just another ploy of his.

They definitely did not want Odin sleep or another _King_ Loki all over again.

"What on earth are you doing, you _manipulative_-"

"Hold your weapons," the god of thunder ordered, extending a gloved hand towards his four warrior friends. With great reluctance, they sheathed their swords, but didn't sit back down to table as they kept their eyes glued to the god of mischief.

Loki, although back on Asgard, and in full power, was paler than usual and tired-looking, and on his back a stream of blood was seeping through his odd Midgardian attire. Thor walked steadily up to him, a look of complete mixed emotions in his cloudy eyes. "Brother-"

"Please, brother," Loki whispered. "I need a healer, now. Her life force is fading fast."

The elder nodded, placing a gentle hand on Loki's shoulder. "Of course, brother," Thor said immediately, leading him through the great hall. His friends nearly sighed and rolled their eyes in exasperation. He was a bit too quick to forgive, and that was his weakness. "Bring us some help!" Thor shouted loudly, his voice echoing through the large room. "Bring us a healer, quickly!"

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><p>Some people have said that brothers are capable of squabbling more violently than others, perhaps because deep down inside, they know in the end they are still brothers. Deep down inside they are bonded by a special force that only belongs to brothers.<p>

Albeit Thor had open-heartedly shown his brother his display of brotherly affection and forgiveness, he couldn't help but feel a slight wariness towards Loki. Sure, his demeanor looked rather altered for some reason, but simply knowing that this male was the god of mischief, Thor believed it best that he keep a close eye on Loki. After all, he had risen to the throne, betrayed the Jotun, and killed Laufey himself. And he had done that all by himself.

Thor resisted the urge to prod and pry Loki for information – he desperately wanted to hear news of Jane. Had Loki seen her? He wanted to know what was going on in earth, if S.H.I.E.L.D. had been pestering Jane Foster's research, and many other things, if his mother had not told him herself to leave Loki be. There was obviously something in Frigga's eyes that knew something everyone else in Asgard didn't. Well, she and Heimdall.

"You've been standing outside the door of healing room for more than five hours, brother," Thor said, placing a hand on Loki's shoulder. His eyes glanced at his brother's back circumspectly. There were no longer any wounds on his shoulder blades, and neither were there any bandages at all. "Loki, the All-Father is expecting us."

Loki nodded quietly and turned around, following his older brother. He had already been dressed in typical Asgard clothing, a black buttoned shirt with dark green pieces that fitted perfectly around his body. Charcoal-y black armor was placed over the black shirt and a cape-like jacket over that, making him look double in size, but still leaner than the massive bulk that was Thor. He still seemed to be absorbed in thought as he walked side by side with his brother.

"Brother," the younger god started slowly, keeping his pace, "forgive me for acting-"

"Ha!" Thor laughed, clapping him roughly on the back, to the point that Loki thought his scars had opened. "We're brothers, aren't we, Loki? We've always been at each other's throats for the past eons! As if our past little spat was the worst, eh?"

A candid smile blossomed surprisingly on the pale god's face as he reminisced some of the past arguments he had with Thor. Sure, he had been the quiet son who seemed to be bullied into service, but there were many times when he'd take his delightful revenge, ending up in a quarrel that took both of the divine parents to stop.

The hallway's door opened, revealing the enormous throne room, where Odin sat at the top, with his wife Frigga by his side. Down by the steps stood Sif and the Warriors Three, dressed in combat uniform, swords and weapons hanging by their sides.

It was easy to read the expressions among Thor's friends: Fandral had that playboy grin up to now, Sif had a visibly suspicious look, Volstaag looked slightly confused, and Hogun had a calm look of resignation on his features. Pleadingly they cast a glance to Thor, who merely had the words, "Wait," all over his face. It was obvious that they wanted to strangle the prince of mischief right then and there.

Loki proceeded forward, stopping at the end of the steps and knelt down on one knee, his eyes never moving from the floor.

"All-mighty All-Father, Odin, King of Asgard, I humbly beg your forgiveness and the realm's." His voice, like oiled silk, echoed within the throne room, bouncing off the walls and sending an interesting invisible glow to throughout.

Rising from his throne, the old god slowly descended the steps, his armored feet clanking against the golden shiny floor. Barely three steps away from his son, he gazed at his adoptive son's bowed features with mixed feelings of fatherly anger and fatherly compassion. "Rise, Loki."

Obeying the orders given to him, he stiffly raised himself until he was looking up into his father's old and wearied face. For a second, Loki was frightened; it almost looked as if the All-Father was going to strike him. Much to the former's surprise, the old man's strong arms were about him, nearly crushing him with astonishing strength for an old man.

Within, Loki's pride and strength was cracking (and maybe his spine, too) under the compassion showered upon him by his family. He knew he did not deserve a single ounce of pity. His lower lip trembled as he heard Odin say, "Welcome back home, Loki, my son."

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><p>"Such <em>luck<em>!" Thor gleefully said in a childlike manner that made Loki grin. It was plain as day that Thor was deeply in love with the mortal Jane. The glinting and fervor in his eyes were unbelievably obvious whenever her name was mentioned. The ardor in Thor's face made Loki's mind reflectively wander over to one of the rooms in the healing ward, where another mortal lay sleeping in a coma.

"Yes," he replied, nodding. "Victoria is Jane's younger cousin; it's quite a coincidence that I crashed within the same place you had."

Thor gazed out wistfully into the distance, almost as if plotting the next daring measure he would take to see Jane Foster once more. Loki seemed to sense what his brother was thinking, immediately interrupting the elder's thoughts, "Somehow I understand now what you had felt back at the Bifrost portal."

"Pray tell, remind me, brother," Thor boomed as they continued walking on in the long corridors of the golden palace.

A smile fell upon Loki's lips as he reminisced the scene where they had fought, when he was attempted to destroy the Jotunheim realm. "You had turned soft because of your unprecedented visit to Midgard." He paused, causing Thor to raise a thick eyebrow at him. "You had changed because of that woman, Jane. And I understand it now, for I've changed as well like you did, Thor."

The god of thunder gazed wistfully at the black-haired male beside him, wondering for a few seconds what he meant by his words. His blonde eyebrows furrowed deep into his forehead as he thought of Jane suddenly along with his brother. "What do you mean, Lo-" Words were left unfinished as his mind retreated to the memory of Loki standing wistfully behind the door of the healing room earlier. The thought of Loki suddenly becoming infatuated with the so-called "lowly" mortals made Thor smile. He was glad that in the shadows, his brother could not see the grin on his face. "I see. I'll assume that you somehow enjoyed your stay in earth."

"Why, yes indeed," Loki replied smoothly as he bid his brother goodnight, and watched him go up the stairs and to his chambers. The god of mischief would have retreated to his chambers as well to rest his head for the night, but his mind was still plagued with thoughts of the mortal girl in one of the healing rooms.

The medics had refused him admission previously, but what with the time of the night, he was sure that they would not notice. And surely if they did…what could they do now that all the other gods were asleep? He'd _still_ get what he wanted either way. Stealthily, he walked through the hallways, as invisible as air, searching for Victoria's room.

Doors and guards he passed before finding the right corridor that led to his desire destination, unguarded, lit only with a few hanging lamps. He slipped through the doorway, closing it behind him without a sound as he crept to the other end of the room.

It was large and almost empty; quite similar to a hospital room in Midgard except for the furniture. Several candles lay burning on a shelf, casting a warm but faint glow throughout, and falling upon a simple bed where a female lay.

Quietly he moved up to the sleeping mortal, gazing upon her, lying peacefully in a coma. His invisible fingers gently traced against her cheekbone, stopping to rest them against her temple. "Well, it seems, your third _implied_ wish has come true," Loki whispered quietly, a smirk spread thinly across his eyes in the faint candlelight.

Bending over, he pressed his lips against her forehead, letting it linger for a moment as he inhaled the remaining scent of lavender soap and other medicinal herbs they had given her.

Just a few more hours, he told himself as he reluctantly pulled away from her sleeping form, sinking deep into the shadows of the palace.

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><p>I just finished watching Tom Hiddleston's interview on Loki, and I couldn't help but smile at his cuteness! When he was asked about his headgear as King Loki, he said it was so heavy and hot, which was why Loki was always mad XD How cute of him!<p>

Anyways, I'm still thinking of what ch. 13 should be. . . ._. Me mind is running amok with the lamest plots ri' nao D: And I won't be bringing out the next chapter until I get, like, oh, at least 52 reviews? Dehehehe, yus, I be that evul :D (It was actually 60, but a kind individual pointed it out that it was quite the stupid idea XD).

**Reviews = cookehs. Cookehs = happy me. Happy me = more chapters for you! Feed me cookehs!**

/HotxBuns


	13. Welcome to Asgard

I'm v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v. sorry for not being able to publish the latest chapter! It was _so_ busy here at home ._. It was not my intention to make you guys wait!

Thanks SO much for the reviews/cookehs! I hope you like this chapter!

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><p>Pale blue eyes focused their attention of a tall male entering the enormous golden room, similar to all the other countless rooms and hallways of the castle. The warm light of the lamps lent him a slightly healthy look – one which was quite unnatural for his pallor. He stopped, then bowed stiffly at her, standing up once more as she said in a commanding, yet motherly tone, "Rise."<p>

"May I inquire as to why you have summoned me, Mother?" his voice rang out clearly like the snaking of a stream through the meadows.

The All-Mother gazed at her youngest son with an affectionate expression. Her pale blue eyes searched him deeply for traces of emotions. "Loki, my son, for what reasons have you returned home to us with a mortal?" A faint flicker of amusement spread over the goddess' face as she felt the sudden tenseness within him that threatened to break through.

"I humbly ask you to clarify your statement, Mother," he replied, a thin smile playing on the prince's pale features. Frigga could see him blink his eyes slowly, stating the obvious that he had been up late hours that night. Only the omniscient mind of a mother knew why and where he had been in the palace.

Frigga smiled as she slowly descended the steps, the white train of her dress sweeping behind her, until she came face-to-face with her outcast son. With only a mother's gentleness, she took his face in her hands. "Your heart aches for this mortal, and it makes you uneasy. That's it, isn't it?" she said soothingly, her eyes twinkling like Thor's. "You long to reveal your heart fully to your Lady Victoria Walters."

The mother saw the sparkle of shock in her youngest son's eyes as she mentioned her surname. Traces of consternation could be found lurking deep within those mysterious green eyes that glittered with a mixture of emotions. Frigga could almost swear she could see the mental gears grinding inside that mind of his.

"How do you know of her family name, Mother?" he said slowly, a hint of suspicion rising in his voice.

Frigga let go of her son's face and moved away from him, walking over to one of the windows overlooking the kingdom. Her pale blue eyes focused on nothing in particular in the distance. "Even though millennia have passed in Asgard, they still take women so lightly. Do you think that the only thing I can is to stand on display in the court, Loki?" The words bit slightly into him as he stayed where he was, watching Frigga. "I have been watching the two of you from afar, stirring Victoria's dreams. Do you think that all this time while my son was missing, I was just simply biding my time?"

Loki frowned. "I beg of you, tell me all you know, mother. _What_ have you done to Victoria?" There was a tone and deep inflection in his voice that showed possessiveness, and if possible…concern.

"I've done nothing to harm the dear child, Loki," she said with calm dignity. "I have guided her through the troubles that accompanied the two of you here. Was it not obvious she was so patient with you through that time? Was she not unbelievably faithful to you, even though she knew you could crush her world with your power? Have you forgotten who I am, son? Has Freya overshadowed the role already?"

He scoffed slightly, then shook his head, staring at the golden floor beneath his. How stupid of him to forget that his own adoptive mother was one of the Norse goddesses of love, marriage, fertility, foresight, prophecy among many other things that went along with Freya. Then his mind slowly started clicking into place. "Have you been forcing her to fall love in me?" His anger was provoked – once more – as if he was the same child who was refused a toy, yet he didn't show it on the exterior. Loki was almost as angry as he was when he had been told of his ancestry. If Frigga had turned to face her son, she would've seen a pair of infuriated green eyes boring into the back of her head.

"No, I haven't." A wave of relief washed over Loki, he wasn't sure if it was out of frustration that his own mother was meddling in his affairs as if he was a little schoolboy or out of relief that Victoria was acting completely out of her own free will. Maybe it was both. Before his mind could wander once more about the woman that continually plagued his mind like a ravaging disease, the doors of the large room burst open, revealing a pair of flustered female nurses that awkwardly curtsied before the queen and prince. Loki's eyebrow arose slightly at the intrusion.

"Excuse me, my lady, my lord," the elder one said, bowing deeply as she caught her breath.

"The Lady Victoria is stirring."

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><p><strong><span>Victoria's POV<span>**

Victoria woke up, slowly blinking in the gentle beams of sunlight that crept in through the large castle window. She rubbed the sleep grit out of her face sleepily as she stretched, obviously thankful for the good night's sleep.

Wait. _Castle_…window…?

Her mind was jerked back to reality as her dark blue eyes shot wide open, scanning the contents of the interesting room about her. The whole room looked as if it was painted gold, with a pair of pillars standing by the doorway. There was a medicine table and cabinet nearby, containing so many different bottles of multicolored liquids. Herbs, some of which looked highly illegal, were laying out by the window, drying. Some clean linen cloths were folded neatly by a bedside stand, along with an empty basin and a golden pitcher.

"Where the hell am I?"

That's when her mind assembled the fractured pieces of memories that led to the current situation. She quickly began remembering things in a rush as she sat upright in the comfortable but simple bed. The memory of Loki holding her in his arms and jumping off the cliff caused her cheeks to heat up slightly.

So if he had jumped off the waterfall's cliff that had the rainbow…

"Wow," she thought to herself as she pieced the slivers of past information together. "This is _totally_ not Kansas, Toto."

Victoria gingerly pushed the satiny covers off her, revealing a nearly transparent nightgown that hung loosely and comfortably about her lithe frame. For a second, a few modest thoughts bothered her conscience as to who had dressed her in the clothing, as it was obvious she was wearing some underwear that she was positive she didn't own back on earth. Her fingers delicately traced the eyelet at the edge of her dress.

She made a move to make the bed, but before her fingers could make contact with fabric, she was stopped by a tiny squeak. Victoria spun around on her heel at the sound, her heart stopping up in her throat.

A young girl, maybe about seven years old was standing in front of her, dressed in a simple white-and-grey dress. Her dark brown hair was swept up in a ponytail, framing her pretty features. In her hands was a bundle of clean linen, which had fallen to the ground in a muffled thump as she stared at me with stormy grey eyes, her mouth hanging open.

Victoria's heart thudded a bit slower now as she noticed one of the doors in the wall was open. Ah, she had thought that to have been a medicine closet.

"Milady!" she said suddenly, curtsying deeply before she gathered the cloth in her arms. "You have awoken, how are you feeling?" Her grey eyes never met up to Victoria's, but kept to the golden floor or some other place, but never higher than hers. The earthling noticed a slight twinge in the girl's voice, something she couldn't tell if it was curiosity or fear. Perhaps it was both.

Victoria forced herself not to stare at the little girl. She looked so much like Wendy that it felt like they were pushing tiny knives into her heart. "I'm fine, thanks," Victoria said slowly, trying to put a lot of gratitude in her voice. "Um, who dressed me, if I may ask?"

Before the girl could reply to her, the large ebony doors of the room opened, revealing a tall male with slicked black hair and two nurses following close behind. The brown-haired girl curtsied quickly and stepped into the back, not wanting to be in the way. Victoria smiled cheerily at the girl, not wishing to make her feel uncomfortable, earning a blush in return.

"Prince Loki, it is not right for you to see milady in her present condition!" one of the nurses said defensively as she stood in the god of mischief's path. A smirk passed Loki's lips that Victoria could almost read plain as day, causing her to roll her eyes. But there was something in his eyes – definitely something different that she hadn't seen before in them, and it made her wonder exactly what.

"It's not as if seen her like this at all, Lady Gwyn," he said smoothly, smiling down at the nurses. "If you'd all be very kind as to leave this room for but a few minutes, I would highly appreciate it, ladies."

Nurse Gwyn looked horrified at his statement. "But Your Highness, the Lady Victoria needs to be checked for an-"

"_Ah_, nonsense, dear nurses. Lady Victoria looks quite well, and is no longer in need of your services. If you could all kindly exit this room," he said in his silky voice, ushering the nurses and the little girl out amid protests and closing the door behind them.

"Well," he said in a satisfied tone. "That's one way to get you to myself."

A faint smile graced Victoria's lips as she took tiny steps backwards while he stepped closer and closer to her. When her back touched the cool marble wall of the room, a darkened look swept across Loki's features as she could now feel his cool breathing tickle down her neck. His smirk deepened as a blush slowly crept across her cheeks and neck.

"Hello, Mr. Loki," she said sheepishly as he tucked a stray blonde hair behind her ear.

"Hush," he commanded gently as he gently pressed his lips against hers, loving the soft feel of her lips molding under his. Loki's fingers softly threaded its way through her golden hair as his other hand gently pressed the back of her waist, deepening the kiss. Victoria's mind flew in circles, detaching from her body as her every essence felt like it was being consumed by the god of mischief. Felt like fire that spread from her lips and warming her whole body, yet it made her whole being feel numb.

Loki breaking away from her seemed to bring gravity to her floating mind; in an instant she was back on earth. When the touch of his mouth left her body, she couldn't help but feel the lovely sting of regret wash over her – she just wanted to pull him by the collar and drag him to bed right then and there. Victoria suppressed inappropriate thoughts when he gently wrapped his arms around her body, breathing in the leftover scent of lavender and herbs on her skin. The nether regions were aching horribly, begging her for a way of releasing the tension that was building up and soaring to an enormous degree.

Her mind wandered upon many other very naughty things that were beginning to infect her mind. His hands began to gently travel on her skin, teasing circles on the tender flesh beneath his. The cool sensation of his breath upon her neck was driving her insane – and he knew it. His smirk was deliciously burning into her eyes as they were rolling back into her head. Victoria's last trace remains of common sense left her, leaving only dirty thoughts intact. "L-Loki, please…"

And then it all suddenly stopped.

"_W-what_-"

Loki carelessly threw her a teasing smirk as he slowly began to walk away from her flustered form. "You must be hungry, darling," he said in a voice so casual, unlike the situation the two of them had been in, barely a few seconds ago. His green eyes twinkled in their sadistic manner as she huffed angrily, her face fully red from confusion and anger. "Come, I'll take you to the dining room."

"Loki, you **_asshole_**!" she shouted, yet a grin eventually made its way up to her lips.

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><p>Fuuu- Loki is deh god of mischief, Victoria, won't you ever get it?<p>

XD I hope you liked this chapter! Please take some time to click the review button and make me a happy camper!

Reviews = cookehs; cookehs = happy me; happy me = more chapters for you!

/HotxBuns


	14. Low Tolerance

Thank you so much for the reviews/cookehs! It makes me really happy to read them!

I'm SO sorry for taking forever in getting this one finished D: My schedule's such a beetch DX I hope you like this chapter ;D

NOH. I don't own Loki, Marvel, Thor, or whutsoever. They belong to Marvel or to the old bloke in shades that makes cameos in deh moovys 8D

-Except Victoria, Anthony, and Wendy. Although I did wish I owned Tom Hiddleston before I kick the bucket XD

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><p>"I have never seen so much food in my <em>entire<em> life."

Victoria gaped at the long table arrayed with rows and rows of assorted platters, containing exotic foods that she couldn't have seen under her measly food budget. Slices of expensive honey ham, baked fish, truffles, cakes, multifarious expensive alcohols, to name a few were spread before her. The god of mischief had simply taken her to his enormous chambers and snapped his fingers – voila! Exquisite godly food a la mischief. Well, she had seen this much food (in the military chow halls during Thanksgiving), but it was different to have it served for you there especially.

He watched her with an amused expression on her face while he randomly picked at a few pieces of sliced apples. Her eyes had just lit up like a child's on Christmas day – just standing there cooing over the food and cramming it down her throat entertained the god. Victoria was so easy to please it was so adorable, and he couldn't help himself if a tiny smile crept across his lips.

"You eat like a _bird_, Victoria."

"Contrary to what people think, birds eat nearly twice their body weight," she snapped back, licking off a drop of honey running down her thumb.

He smiled, "_Exactly_." Victoria rolled her eyes as she nibbled on some cinnamon cake and honeyed mead.

"This is like nothing I've ever tasted before," she marveled as she downed the strong liquid; her face scrunched up a bit at first, but it slowly began tasting unbelievably sweet – notes of honey, sugar, mint, and delicious saccharine flavors to tickle as the aftertaste.

"I do hope you know your alcohol limit will be lower here, Victoria," he said solemnly, taking the goblet of divine alcohol from her hands and downing it, amidst a pair of blue eyes glaring at him. His green orbs eyed the plate of sweets and cakes piled on her plate. "Are you one of those females that inhale copious amounts of food, only to cough it up later?"

"Oh, _please_," Victoria laughed as she sat down beside him on the divan. "It's not often that I have free time on my hands. When I do have free time, I usually spend it working s'more, so I barely have time to eat." She bit gingerly into the side of a large black cherry, the dark juice turning her lips a strong glossy red. He strongly resisted the urge to simply take the rest of her fruit from her hands, toss it over his shoulder, and push her against the divan right there. Absolutely no one would be able to hear them as he had a magical soundproof barring all audible noise coming in or out of his chambers. It would absolutely perfect.

"Those four warriors we passed by a while ago," she said, biting into a strawberry. "Who were they? Are they related to you?"

His mind snapped back to reality, eyes visibly darkened as he leaned back, his neck pressing against the cool wall. They had brushed by them earlier, yet they had scurried past quickly as Victoria had said a chipper "hello" at them. The nerve of those four idiots. "Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, the fighting playmates of my brother. They follow him around on his escapades, sometimes even dragging me along."

"You sound quite bitter at the last part."

He scoffed, "Everyone knows I'm not a warrior. Sorcerer, yes. Politician, if forced. Definitely not a warrior," he replied, taking another sip of the mead goblet. "I've fought yes, but as you humans say, 'it's not my thing'."

"I bet you're awesome in the battlefield," she said simply, resting her head against the wall along with him. To the god of mischief, he would have wondered if what she was saying was simply some apple-polishing, but there was no façade to be detected in her words. Absolutely none.

Victoria popped another berry into her mouth. Loki resisted the urge to stare at her now – the way her blonde hair fell about her delicate face, the bright stained lips that enticed him to kiss her, the delicate white dress that they had offered her, and especially the atmosphere of the moment where they were so isolated at the moment that was making his mind racing with dirty pleasures. But, no. He couldn't. He _wouldn't_.

She seemed to be in some sort of deep thought as she drew her legs up on the divan, leaving the strappy sandals lying on the floor. A few tendrils of golden hair got in her face – she blew it out of her way. His fingers involuntarily made its way to the temple of her pale face, gently tucking the stubborn strands behind her ear.

Without thinking any longer, he had her pressed fully against the wall, his large pale hands pinning her wrists on either side of her head. His lips were upon hers in an instant, kissing her ferociously as if his life depended on it. The feel of her soft lips moving and returning the same amount of passion aroused him, and the tiny moans that escaped her mouth added to that as well. The platter of sweets and fruits were shoved aside on the large divan, forgotten.

Victoria's mind was a mass of sparks and heat when she was placed on the enormous bed. Breathy sighs left her mouth as Loki trailed butterfly kisses from her jawline to her collarbone. Every single touch he bestowed on her left her in complete pleasure, making her arch her body up towards him.

Loki's fingers traced against the fabric of her plain white dress, rending it to shreds in a primal manner, as if desperately compelled to rid her of all forms of clothing. She shivered as she felt the night air and his cool breath bathe her pale skin, whispering her name gently like a mantra.

He moved his head lower, his tongue delicately brushing against a raised nipple, toying with it in circles while his free hand gently groped the other. Slowly, his hand traveled down lower, coming in hot contact with her womanhood, aching and burning to receive his touch. He slipped a long finger in – for Victoria, it was thankfully slim, but then another, and another, slipping slowly in and out of her deep warm folds. Her uneven breathing, her tiny mewls, the unashamed bucking of her hips, the way she said his name over and over again like a mantra caused him to become more and more aroused as his member began begging for relief. "A-Ah," she panted, clutching onto the fabric of the bed and arching her chest up to his. He could tell her mind was swimming with pleasure as she was nearing her climax, her eyes rolling back in her head.

A smirk came up to his lips when she looked up in him in confusion, panting and cursing madly at him. He had pulled his fingers out right before her orgasm could hit her, the lack of his fingers being replaced by a stronger throbbing ache. She glared up at him angrily, panting and flushed. "D-Don't be cruel…"

"Ssshh," he chided as he pulled her hips closer to him, easing his manhood into her hot, slick folds.

Victoria whimpered quietly, throwing her head back as he stayed still, watching her breath unevenly beneath him. Her insides twisted in anticipation as he never moved from his spot. She snapped her head back angrily, "Don't make me beg," she said hoarsely. "Please…"

The trademark smirk crept up to the corners of his lips, taunting her more in her awkward position. "What is it, darling?" he said in his sugary voice, leaning down low and letting his lips graze her milky-white skin. "What is it you want me to do?"

"Damn you-"

"Hm?"

Victoria panted. "I want you to fuck me," she growled angrily, scowling at him. His smirk deepened as he pecked a kiss on her pouty lips, and then gripped her waist firmly. He flashed a teasing "_You asked for it_" grin, pulling him close to her as he pumped himself in and out of her.

His whole body, slathered with sweat, was engulfed in pleasure as he pulled himself fully out, only to want to bury himself back in her warmth. It was hard to remember or think at all in his current situation – his mind was a complete mess, unraveled by the beautiful panting form beneath him. Seeing her lying there (not so) submissively, looking up at him with those dark blue eyes rolling to the back of her head, was pushing him over the edge. He cupped her face in his hands, crushing his lips to hers as he quickened his pace and pounded harder and harder into her.

Victoria ran her fingers through his black hair, gently gripping onto it for purchase as he began pushing against a point that made her throw back her head, breaking away from the kiss. Full moans and mewls left her mouth, fueling his lust to drive himself harder and harder into her. He thought his brain would explode when her walls tightened around him, both of them exploding onto each other.

Slowly, he pulled out, collapsing on the large bed next to her, eyeing her perfect porcelain body. Her eyes were closed as she relaxed herself in the peak of the afterglow, trying to even out her breathing. Loki ran his fingers through his black hair, which was all messed up by now. By far, this was the best sex he had ever had, definitely better than the first time he had slept with her.

She moved over closer to him until she was gingerly hovering over his lips. After muttering a barely audible "thanks" she removed the space between them, pressing her mouth delicately on his. He felt slightly shocked when he felt a tiny hand make its way to his, and without any form of reluctance, found himself squeezing back.

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><p><strong>Victoria's POV<strong>

"You must be Victoria."

I spun around on my heel, only to come face-to-face with a black-haired woman. At first, I was a bit thankful to stumble across someone in the labyrinth of the palace, but giving her a second glance almost made me feel just as lost as I did earlier. I remembered her walking along with those other three male warriors earlier, the one I had asked Loki about. She was undeniably beautiful, with her stormy grey eyes and her healthily glowing complexion. She was well-built, tall, and slightly muscular, I could tell, underneath the casual Asgardian attire. The way she stood was interesting, as if she was calculating everything that breathed, like she was ready for any form of combat. Even in the tone of her voice, she probably didn't mean to sound harsh, but she had a slightly rough tone that showed she was wary.

"Um, yeah, I am..." I didn't exactly know what to say exactly, but I tried to be polite. "You must be the Lady Sif, if I'm not mistaken? The mighty goddess of war?"

She stood up a bit more stiffly, if that was possible. I hoped it was a good thing, because I didn't exactly remember what else she was aside from being Thor's wife in the myths. It was quite odd, because if I remember correctly, the goddess Sif had hair made of pure gold. Strange, I thought. She was the only Aesir I had seen who had jet-black hair. Well, she and Loki. Oh, yeah…

She nodded, "Yes, I am Sif. And please, no formalities." For a second, she looked at her feet as if she was slightly embarrassed, then said "Victoria, you are the cousin of Jane Foster, aren't you?" There was something in the tone of her voice that seemed to tug at my heartstrings. With the glow of the lamps in the hallway, it added to the shadow that hung over her eyes.

"Yup. She's my cousin," I nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing," she said dismissively. "You just have similar features as your cousin." There was something that flashed in her eyes I couldn't exactly discern – maybe it was both sadness and anger. Almost in the same instant that it came, it disappeared just as quickly, and then a friendly smile crept up to her face. "So, do you want me to show you around?"

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><p>I hope you liked this chapter! (It had a frickin' lemon, so duhh XD)<p>

...and un momento before you leave... Is Victoria a Mary-Sue? I NEEDTA KNOW. ._.

Please take a minute to click that button below and make my life happier! Thank you!

Reviews = cookehs. Cookehs = happy me. Happy me = MORE LOKI FER YOOH.

/HotxBuns


	15. How to Kill a Dragon

"I see. . . I was wondering a bit earlier why your hair was black like his," Victoria mused, as they passed by the armory. She had been slightly diminutive in comparison to the pants-wearing goddess, but the latter was so pleasant to talk to, she immediately forgot why she was fidgety in the first place.

Sif chuckled quietly as she toed a pebble in the ground, rolling it back and forth beneath her curled sandals. "Thor nearly ground his bones with Mjollnir when I told him the story. Well, he wasn't really able to hurt him because I had choked the living daylights out of him."

The blonde-haired female resisted the urge to turn her head to the side and look at Sif head-on – she knew that Sif was calculating her the same way Loki had when he had first seen her. It was obvious that Sif gave her a sideways glance every now and then, almost regarding her with a look of fear and hidden displeasure in her stormy grey eyes. She knew the goddess of war was suspicious, but she refused to confront her dead on, because after all…keep the enemy closer.

Victoria's stomach knotted when she realized why. Frigga's dream when she had shown her all that Loki had done, the evil he had pursued. She was definitely sure that they suspected her of being the same. Her mind wandered over to the lithe male who was probably still sprawled in his bedchambers, still fast asleep like a baby.

Sif pushed the door of the armory open, only to reveal an enormous room made of stone and concrete, with an array of various weapons and articles of war, some of which looked more like instruments of torture. Several benches and barrels lay about the room, almost as if to make it more like an obstacle course for those within. It was a badly-lit room, with only the sun's beams streaming in from narrow windows offering some form of light.

There, running around within, were the three warriors Victoria had encountered earlier, sparring with their unusual weapons. They didn't bother looking up from their little fight, but kept at it, sending sparks flying in all directions.

"That one is Volstaag," Sif pointed out at a rather thick-waisted man with a large beard, who swung his large sword as if it was as light as a toothpick. "Hogun," from the side came an Asian-looking man with pulled back hair, wielding his weapon and darting to and fro at his opponents as if it was merely some sort of fluid dance. The third one, a tall man with blonde hair and an interesting little goatee laughed giddily like a little schoolboy at play, snapping his sword with precise movements, obviously enjoying the peak of the fight, "and Fandral."

The Lady Sif cleared her throat, eyeing the three men as if they were crazy little boys. "It would be wise to show some respect before our guest."

"Aha, yes," Fandral chuckled as he panted, ducking a blow from the Asian-looking man. "We can speak later, Sif, my friend, after our little frolic is over-"

"Unless our guest has food-" Volstaag stated, his eyes almost dancing with the daydreams of walnuts and the lobsters of last night. He snapped his sword in Fandral's direction, dodging a swipe from the goatee'd one.

Hogun jumped and avoided a sweep from the blonde man, rolling beneath the fat one and standing up just as quickly, "Which I believe our guest doesn't."

The three of them stopped, their swords intertwined at each other's necks at checkmate. Panting and heaving, they drew the swords back to their scabbards as Sif and Victoria clapped their hands. "That was so awesome!" Victoria said honestly. "I've never seen anything that cool in my entire life!"

"Volstaag, Fandral, Hogun," Sif said as the three stared blankly at Victoria, still panting after their little brawl. "I'd like to introduce to you our Midgardian guest, Victoria, whom you know arrived yesterday night."

Volstaag made an uncomfortable sound at the back of his throat, as if he had recalled something that he didn't wish to remember, maybe it was overcooked venison or spoiled eggs, but he forced a smile that made his deep brown eyes twinkle. Hogun bowed ever-so-respectfully, but had a look of caution in his raven-black eyes, his hand still ghosting over the handle of his daggers. Fandral on the other hand, stepped up; beaming a blinding-white smile as he brazenly took Victoria's hand in his and brought it to his lips. "It's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful dove as you, my Lady Victoria. There have been throngs of maidens, but they all are old biddies in comparison to-"

"Enough with your talk of fowls, Fandral," Sif snapped, causing Victoria to laugh as he pulled away. Hogun snorted at Fandral in mocking distaste as he twirled a seven-foot spear in his hand.

"Tell me, Lady Victoria!" Volstaag boomed as cheerfully as he could muster. "What article of weaponry matches your taste?"

"Volstaag," Hogun retorted. "Lady Victoria is a _female_."

"Oh, right," Volstaag blushed, kicking the straw that lay scattered on the ground. "I knew that.

Victoria held back a snicker as she could see Sif's face redden with restrained anger. "Are you saying that just because Victoria is a lady, like I, she cannot wield a _weapon_?" she barked, her voice slowly rising. "You are implying that females do not know how to fight. That is an _insult_ to the Valkyrie and to me." Victoria could feel her blood slowly run cold as Sif strutted over to one of the walls where several chains and maces hung. She unhooked out a very unfriendly-looking javelin device from one of the hooks and tossed it to the mortal.

Unfortunately for the latter, she hadn't expected it to be nearly twice her weight, as her knees buckled with the weight of the solid iron weapon. "Whoa," Victoria exclaimed, gaping at Sif. "You're not serious!" She looked pleadingly at the males.

"She's as serious as a starfish."

Sif pulled one of the other maces, which turned out to be a lever, on the wall nearest Victoria, cranking some invisible gears and bolts in the ceiling and walls. A hatch in one of stone walls opened, and a six foot dragon came out, hissing and stomping its gnarly talon-like feet, tossing its ugly brazen head like a horse. Its metal-like scales shimmered like glowing rust in the faint sunlight, bristling as it regarded the mortal with emotionless pupils. A creaking sound left its razor-sharp mouth, sounding like nails scraping across a chalkboard. "Holy _SHIT_," Victoria cursed angrily, taking steps backwards, dropping the javelin.

A loud thud was heard nearly a foot behind Victoria, causing her to fling a glance behind her. "FUCK," she spat, her jaw nearly dropping to the ground as she saw iron bars caging both her and the dragon, separating her from safety and the four warriors. "WHAT THE FUCK-" She could've sworn her heart stopped beating when her blue eyes snapped back to the dragon as it got on its hind legs, beating its enormous wings so hard, it sent her moving a few feet backwards. "Remove this motherfucking thing now, or I'll kill you!" she shouted angrily, pulling at the bars in an attempt at freedom.

"Be careful, Lady Victoria!" Hogun cautioned from behind. "That may be an automation dragon, but it will still spew-"

"SHIT!" she screamed, ducking a strong blast of fire from the dragon's mouth. It singed a bench near her to bits, reducing it to a pile of smoking ash. Victoria grabbed the javelin, trying her best to make use of the enormous weapon.

"-fire."

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" she screamed, trying to avoid the snapping jagged teeth that were coming at her. She yelped as one of the talons swiped at her, nearly missing her belly by a few inches.

"You kill it," Volstaag mumbled in a matter-of-factly tone. "Find a weak spot."

"Where?" She dodged the barbed tail of the automation, nearly falling backwards on her butt. Sidestepping the head, she tried stabbing at the head, only to have the javelin's tip break off, falling on the ground with a loud clank. "What now?" she screamed, sidestepping another blast of fire. Picking up the broken javelin head she ran to the other side of the caged area, the end of the blade digging tightly into her skin. She was sure her hand was bleeding as the dragon came fast like a speeding train, and in an instant, her back was slammed against the rough wall, sending stars flying in her vision. The sharp metal claws were slowly piercing her skin, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Sif!" Fandral said with a worried look on his face. "We must stop it now, she will be killed!"

"Don't," Sif retorted, as her well-trained eye watched the tense moment – a little more and she would break. "The mortal is showing her capabilities; don't impede them."

The three warriors stole sideway glances at each other. Was Sif trying to get Victoria killed?

Victoria's blue eyes caught something dull in contrast in the dragon's scaly metal throat. Beneath the iron pieces was an opening, a throbbing opening that seemed to be vulnerable and unprotected like the rest of the dragon's skin. A wheeze left her throat as the dragon's grip tightened, the smell of its rust-and-grease smoky breath making her gag. Her fingers tightened around the javelin head and with all her strength, she plunged the sharp object into the hole, causing the dragon to screech out like nails across a board once more. A cry left her mouth as the javelin head began to smoke, burning her hand; she let go of the weapon, only to have the metal dragon screech all the louder with it still plunged in its throat, reeling backwards and falling on to the stone ground.

She panted, finally catching her breath as she let her back rest against the wall for support. Her whole body was tired; her mind from freaking the living shit out at the thought of being mauled by a dragon; her throat from screaming; her back from the impact of the wall; and her arms from the heavy javelin.

"Mother…fuck." She sat on the ground in a heap, watching the dragon make some dying whirrs and quivers before it finally died in a crumple. What the fuck did she just do? Glaring up at the four warriors who stood dumbstruck at her, "What the hell were you trying to do to me? Kill me? What the fuck were you idiots thinking?"

The swords they were holding fell to a clatter on the ground. "I can't believe it," Sif breathed. "You just killed the automation." She flashed the three warriors an "I told you so" look as she walked over to the mortal.

"You, my Lady Victoria, are the first undead person in Asgard to kill one of the dwarves' fake dragons!" Fandral laughed, "And she's still not dead!" clapping her on the back as she slowly got up to her feet in a groan. Although her head was pounding, she was still slightly embarrassed upon remembering the fact that she called these warriors 'idiots.' Oh, well, she thought. They deserved it.

"You have our utmost respect," Hogun said kindly, nodding towards the blonde female.

A tiny lump of pride swelled in her throat when she saw the goddess of war beam at her, placing a hand on her achy shoulders. "I believe you told me you were in the medical field – you never told me you could fight." There was also a glimmer of pride in Sif's eyes as she regarded the female in a new light. "You should start fighting as a warrior, not as a corpsman."

"There's something called 'guns' back on earth that would pick me off in an instant." Victoria snorted as the four of them walked out of the weaponry, stepping in to the afternoon light, the warm and gentle sunlight bathing their skin. Five pairs of eyes narrowed at a chariot in the distance, mounted by a female figure clad in white, pulled by a pair of tiny white fluffy things. Victoria took a step back as the chariot came up close, and she saw the woman in the chariot in plain view. It was large enough to accommodate three large men, adorned with fresh flowers and fruits that swayed and emitted fragrances in the wind. The things that were pulling the chariots were two white Persian cats, fluffy and cute with untold strength, purring as they pulled the large chariot.

Sif rolled her eyes conspicuously, crossing her arms as the rider dismounted from the chariot.

She was tall, but definitely not as tall as Sif or Victoria, with curling platinum blonde hair that tumbled past her waist. Her whole body seemed as if it was carved by Michelangelo from the most precious marble in the heavens. Sparkling bright eyes peeped from behind a forest of thick lashes, and her bright pouty lips turned upwards in a smile that nearly blinded them with its whiteness.

Victoria couldn't help herself from staring at the female. She was definitely more beautiful than…Victoria's couldn't remember what celebrity or super model could be used in comparison for this gorgeous Asgardian. This woman would definitely make a straight woman turn gay just because she said so. But there was definitely something wrong with her eyes and the way she smiled. It didn't look friendly, it looked more like "oh, pity you, you're, like, _so_ homely" in them as a faint giggle swept across her face–

"Oh," she said in a sugary tone, sweeping her blonde bangs out of her crystal eyes. "This must be the mortal that our dear Loki arrived with yesterday." Victoria's stomach was knotting up at her tone; this woman sounded a bit too much like a Valley Girl, the many stereotypical girls she had coped with back in high school. The lady looked her up and down, noticing the dirty and bruised appearance of Victoria. "Why won't you introduce me to her, Lady Sif?"

The goddess of war forced a smile as she gestured to Victoria, then at the beautiful woman. "Victoria, I'd like you to meet Freyja, the goddess of love."


	16. Lokidis

I'm SO sorry for the messy previous chapter D: I will fix it!

Thank all of you guys for reviewing, especially to:

skirose55 - You've always got something so kind to say, thank you!

KijoKuroi - Heheh, how I could I forget you? And I'm glad someone noticed that Anthony and Wendy is no longer in it! Thanks!

Jadika - Plain awesomesauce, wumman! Thank you for pointing out my many typos, Imma get to it (when my arse isn't procrastinating any longer XD)

Cynthia888 - THANKS MUCHLY! You point things out so well, and I'm glad you're very honest :D I'll do my best to un-Sueify Victoria XD Please continue the reviewing!

Just because you're not here doesn't mean I love you and I don't read every single review you make! You all make me SO happy! Thanks so much!

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><p>Loki felt strangely lonesome when he awoke alone on the bed. He had expected to wake up with Victoria in his arms, or at least to see her sleeping peacefully next to him, her golden hair spread out like a small blanket on her bare and delicate body. She was so warm, so beautiful, and so <em>alive <em>in comparison to him. Just the mere thought of her could break the surface of his cool reserved ways, making him want to search the whole kingdom of Asgard and lavish countless kisses on her. The creamy skin so soft, the fluttering of the heavy-lashed eyelids, the steady and gentle heartbeat, the soft breath that called out his name made it literally weak in the knees. It made him feel like a little boy, and not a sorcerer who had gone through millennia of war and fighting.

He mentally cursed himself when he saw the sun-programmed time watch standing on one of his marble top tables. It was nearing sunset, about four-forty-five in Midgardian standards, and here he was, still lazing in his bedchambers, soaked with the thoughts of his dearly beloved. With a groan he immediately got off his enormous bed, dressed himself quickly, then walked out of his chambers, snapping his fingers to securely lock everything, just in case.

. . .

"Oh," the goddess said in a rather condescending tone. "Victoria is a lovely name, I hope to get used to saying it, for it sounds oddly foreign." Sif rolled her eyes once more as if saying, "Of course it's foreign, you nit, she's not from Asgard." Freyja pushed aside her thick bangs, showing off her bright blue eyes. "Oh, what is the Norse version of that name, 'tis Sigyn, is it not? Victory?"

A vivid pink dusted across Victoria's cheeks at the mention of that name so familiar to her from the books of Norse gods. "I'll be fine with my real name, thanks," she muttered, much to the shock of Freyja.

"Oh, I see." The goddess of love obviously didn't like getting rejected, or her wonderful candid ideas. "So, what have you chosen to wear tonight?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, don't you know that there's always a dance every night in the halls of Asgard?" Freyja looked genuinely shocked, nearly gasping. Victoria threw a pleading look at Sif and the three males. Her eyes pick up a love-drunk glow as she placed the back of her hand against her forehead dramatically, while going on, "You must always be dressed in your finest, and prettied to your best, for you never know when your love or loves shall call you away, sweeping you off your feet and into the gardens beyond, taking you in his arms and-"

Sif cleared her throat looking unbelievably bored with the goddess of love's useless prattling. She placed a hand on Victoria's shoulders and smiled a huge fake smile. "I do believe the warriors would do with your wonderful talk on love and loving," she said, steering Victoria away from the superficial female. Volstaag, Hogun, and Fandral looked immensely pleased, barely noticing that the other two were leaving. "If you'd please excuse us, Freyja."

"Oh, my dears, you don't need to ask my permission!"

Victoria laughed when Sif rolled her eyes in an exaggerating manner, before stomping away through the pavilions. They made their way through a few grassy parts before sitting to rest at a few large boulders, sitting down for a rest. The sun was getting ready to set, making its way to the west. The sky was bleeding rich vibrant hues, stronger than the colors of the setting sun in Midgard or anywhere else. Everything that the beautiful beams touched was bathed in a beautiful gold and red. The enormous castle seemed to glow more brightly, if that was possible, with all its turrets and spirals gleaming in the light. It was all so beautiful, yet it made the earthling sad and homesick. She knew she didn't belong here. She knew where her place was, and where her duty lay. It was not to frolic with Loki and to slay automation dragons.

"Sif," Victoria called out to the warrior goddess after a while. "What exactly do you wear to a party…or dance?" Sif quirked a rather shocked eyebrow at her in disdain. "I'm serious."

"An evening gown is usually what women wear for something like tonight, it isn't really something special. Or…" she paused as a fox came within view, walking stealthily towards the boulders they were sitting on. It was a rather large fox, nearly twice as high and wide than a normal fox, with sharp shoulder blades and a bright orange hide. It rubbed it body against one of the boulders behind Victoria, completely hidden from her view, its large tail flickering up and down like a flame in the sunlight. "Considering that Loki has returned, there shall be a rather large celebration. It will definitely be much more than normal nights."

"I haven't really been to stuff…_that_ fancy…"

"Eh?"

"Well, back on earth, I was always busy. Even when I was still in school and they had dances, I couldn't go because I had to take care of my family." The fox twitched its tail when she paused, and a wave of reminiscing passed across her face. "I wasn't even able to go to any of the proms." Victoria was sure that Sif didn't quite understand what a prom was, but there was obvious compassion in the goddess' grey eyes. "It's not like I regret any of it. Most of the girls in my school were stuck up bitches who all looked the same."

"Trust me," Sif said, gently patting her on the back. "Here in Asgard is quite the same as earth. Like Freyja – a prime example of artificial people here in Asgard. Quite useless, really, unless you want something for display on your arm. She's bed about most of the Aesir, some even females as well, because as she always says, 'love knows no boundaries.'" Sif snorted and narrowed her eyes at the fox, who was delicately washing its face like a cat. Her eyes narrowed. "Of course, there was a time when she was actually helpful. She helped in the tricking of Svaolifari, the Frost Giant's steed…ring any bells for you, Victoria?" The fox snapped up a pair of green eyes, looking obviously annoyed at Sif. It bared its sharp teeth, but no sound came out as it went back to slicking it ears.

"It does, but I don't exactly remember."

"I bet you will a bit later, but I don't want to get into the details, because it's rather _disgusting_. Now," Sif started, clearing her throat as she dusted her backside from the boulder, standing up. "I think that it's best that you get ready for tonight, eh?"

. . .

Victoria let out a sigh as she browsed through the dresses laid out before her by the little girl who was attending to her earlier. Her name was Skye Erikdaughter, a name easy enough for Victoria's Yankee tongue to pronounce.

It's not like she _wasn't_ grateful for the little lass' help, it was just getting tedious to go through so many different articles of clothing, choosing which one was appropriate. Some of them were a bit too low-cut for her taste, some too richly decorated, some looked like a granny dress, and some would make her look too much like a try hard. Victoria wasn't really picky with the clothes that she wore back on earth, because she was usually wearing a uniform of some kind, or if wearing casual attire, simply jeans and a shirt. She could easily slip into a teenager's look because she was skinny and as some of her co-workers called her, "kiddo."

It felt weird that it seemed like but a few days ago she was back on earth, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do with her life. Now she was picking a dress for a ball in Asgard, pretty much the typical idea of a worldly heaven, except better. Her mind began to wander again, back to California where she had left Anthony and Wendy. Truth be told, she was enjoying it here a hundred percent. It was honestly a wonderful place, she had to give it that, but she knew she didn't belong here at all. Knowing that she enjoyed it so much over here made her stomach churn with guilt. She was enjoying life while she left those two to the mercies of the institutions and foster families. She knew she had a duty back home to her family and her country. Speaking of country…when they arrived at the Bifrost, it was about a week until she got deployed to Afghanistan once more. She definitely needed to get back home, get her paperwork ready, her medical checkup…

"Milady?"

"Hmm?" she asked, snapping out of her trance and focusing on the short little girl standing beside her. She had been blissfully unaware that Skye was slightly growing impatient, waiting for her to decide.

"Are any of these gowns to your liking, Lady Victoria?"

Victoria's eyes trailed once more through the dresses laid out on her large bed. She picked up a simple white gown, with a slight v-necking edged with silver that bared her shoulders and neck, but stopped right beneath the collar bone. It ruched slightly as it went down, reaching all the way down to her feet, brushing against her sandals. Compared to the others, it was simple enough, yet was still beautiful.

"This one, I think…?"

Skye picked up the dress and ushered Victoria behind a darkened screen in the corner of her chambers, then handed it to her over the screen. Victoria wriggled out of her plain attire, draping it over the screen which promptly disappeared, obviously being put away and folded by Skye. The former slipped the gown over her head and poked her arms through the armholes. It wasn't tight, nor was it too loose. It was incredibly comfortable, form-fitting all over her body, her waist fitting perfectly in the snug area. She stepped out from behind the screen.

"You looked beautiful, milady!" Skye gasped, bringing her hands up to her mouth. She rushed over to one of the cabinets, brought out a dark green cape-like attire and a belt. "Milady, please put these on, it will make you look all the more dazzling!"

Victoria smiled at the little girl's enthusiasm and thanked her, taking the cape and placing it over the shoulders, hooking on the necklace chain on both sides of the cape at the top, in order that it wouldn't fall. She laced the belt around her waist, which was leather corded, set in the center with a large silver stone, and tied it behind her back.

Skye's chocolate irises eyed the green color of Victoria's cape. "If I may be so bold as to ask, milady, but are you Lokidis?"

The words tickled into Victoria's ear. The prefix definitely caught her attention, making her wonder what "dis" meant in Norse. "What do you mean, Skye?" she asked, narrowing her blue eyes down at the little girl.

"It means lady of Loki…You are Loki's lady, are you not?"

Simple words yet they were, it bit into Victoria, causing a fiery shade of red to cover her face and neck. She was at a loss of words before the little brown-haired girl, wondering how such an innocent-looking girl could- oh, wait. Asgardians were people, too. Gossip easily spread like wildfire in California. Skye burst into a smile, then reaffirmed the earthling's thoughts. "I overheard one of the women…" then her brown eyes widened as she looked up at Victoria. "I-I-I didn't mean to pry, milady! Please forgive me!"

Victoria smiled and patted the little girl's head sympathetically. Her mind was still going around the topic that Skye had previously tiptoed about. "Oh, Skye, there's nothing to forgive." She laughed. "Now, let's see _you_ dressed up for tonight, hmm?"

. . .

Loki didn't budge from his spot when he heard the dinner bell ringing from behind the door of his chambers. He merely flipped another page of the gargantuan encyclopedic-looking book, green eyes intently trailing along the list of words. His clockwork mind was consuming every single little detail he could find about the words and story he had inconspicuously eavesdropped on earlier, planning his next move. It wasn't that hard to smuggle the book out of the Archives (it was borrowing), but he definitely needed his mental thirst quenched – stat.

"_Prom, or Promenade, is a formal dance or gathering of Midgardian high school students, typically held near the end of the senior year (see page 322, under Midgardian Ed). It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students. High school juniors attending the prom may call it Junior Prom while high school seniors may call it Senior Prom. In practice this may be a combined junior/senior dance."_

_At prom, a Prom Queen and Prom King may be revealed. These are honorary titles awarded to students chosen in a school-wide vote prior to the prom, and are usually given to seniors. Juniors may also be honored, but would be called "Prom Prince" or "Prom Princess". Other students may be honored with inclusion in a "Prom Court". The selection method for Prom Court is similar to that of Homecoming Queen (see page 455, under Midgardian sports), King, and Court. Inclusion in a Prom Court is a reflection of popularity of those chosen and their level of participation in school activities, such as clubs or sports."_

_Boys usually dress in black or white formal wear, regardless of the time of the event, sometimes paired with brightly colored ties or bow-ties with vests, in some cases in colors matching their date's dress. Most are rented from stores that specialize in formal wear rentals. Girls wear traditional ladies dresses or gowns. They may purchase their prom dresses from specialized shops, boutiques, or internet retailers (see page 103, Midgardian forms of technology). There are many specialty labels selling prom dresses that release new collections each prom season. Traditionally girls will also wear a corsage, given to them by their dates, and girls give boys matching boutonnières to be worn on their lapel."_

_Prom attendees may be limited by their schools to be Juniors or Seniors and if guests, under age 21. Before Prom, girls will typically get their hair styled, often in groups as a social activity at a salon (see page 700, under Midgardian beautification). Prom dates will then gather at a park, garden, or their own and their date's houses for photographs (see again under page 103). Prom attendees may rent vehicles to transport groups of friends from their homes to the Prom venue: a banquet hall or school gymnasium. Some schools host their proms at venues such as hotel ballrooms and other venues where weddings typically take place. At Prom, a meal may be served. The dance itself may have a band or DJ (see page 388, under Midgardian music). After Prom, a school or community may host a "Post Prom" at a restaurant or at school."_

A snicker escaped his lips as he closed the Encyclopedia on Midgard with a loud thud, placing it back on one of the marble tables nearest him. Sure, it would be quite hard to substitute some items, but it wouldn't be that hard, being the sorcerer he was. Tricky it may seem to any other Asgardian, but definitely easy for him. He left his chambers, snapping his fingers to make it all securely lock down.

. . .

"You're late, brother," Thor declaimed as he sat down in the vacant chair between Thor and Sif, smoothing out his regal robes as he did so.

Loki cleared his throat as he toyed with a small piece of meat on his golden-scalloped plate. "My most sincere apologies to everyone, I was ashamedly absorbed in a book." He said it in a general manner to all present, but it was more towards the blonde mortal, dressed in a simple yet dazzling attire. As much as he wished to hide his utter captivation, it was unbelievably obvious that he was smitten, seeing the way he was lost in her blue eyes.

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><p>I hoped you like this chapter!<p>

Is there something I need to improve on? Is there some details you can share with me to remove the Mary Sue-ness? Does it need some intrigue? Please take time to review!

Reviews = Cookehs; cookehs = happy me; happy me = more chapters for you!

Thank you for reading this chapter!

/HotxBuns


	17. Eyvindr

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and commented on my story! It really inspires me!

I hope you like this chapter!

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><p>Loki's mind was like a jumbled heap after dinner. He had seen Victoria talk openly to many males, chatting and laughing along with them. It made him want to scramble over the long table, stomping all over the food, then crawling over the men and just strangle them. The words, "Talk to me! Talk to me!" wanted to burst out of his mouth as he watched her laugh at one of the Aesir's jokes. He drained another goblet of mead the umpteenth time that day, nearly rivaling the amount of divine drink that Volstaag had downed.<p>

Green eyes burned into the back of Victoria's head, as he saw her talking with Sif. Those two were inseparable, really, although there was a suspicious look in the female warrior's eye that made Loki ponder what she was up to. She wouldn't – would she? She would, he scowled. She had tiptoed around the subject about the tricking of Svaolifari, and in other words would definitely leak more. He mentally cursed himself for acting like such a biddy, acting as if it even mattered anyways. Besides, what was Vitoria than a mere plaything? He tried convincing himself of that fact as he drank another goblet of mead, watching the blonde mortal with a broody gaze.

He was barely able to resist the urge of sending an electrocuting spell across the room to where one of the visiting from Alfheimr, Eyvindr Freyrson, barely a few inches away from her, socializing. Being the next in line for the throne of Alfheimr, many of the other females in the great hall cast Victoria unfriendly glances. Eyvindr looked seemingly innocent and harmless with his shy smiles, gentle baby blue eyes, and long angelic platinum hair. Being a Light Elf, most especially a prince, he was blessed with an undeniable charm that exuded from his being, attracting everyone and everything to him. Of all things, why-

"_Ha_!" Loki nearly spat out the strong drink as a strong and heavy hand pounded his back, knocking the air out of him and the liquid into the wrong pipes. "I see that look in your eyes, brother!" Thor boomed, casually throwing his arm about his younger brother's shoulders, just like when they were young. Loki couldn't help but get annoyed, knowing that Thor had reached his alcohol limit.

"Humbly craving your pardon, brother, I have no _clue_ what you speak of."

"You spoke of having feelings for Lady Victoria earlier, did you not, brother? You see her here mingling with many other men, and you feel the urge to claim her publicly as yours, heh?" Thor smiled greatly, almost with a sort of elder-brotherly pride in it. He almost saw himself in Loki's position, the exact same way he looked when he fell in love with the beautiful astrophysicist.

"I said that I _changed_ the way you did, I didn't say that I had _feelings_ for Lady Victoria," Loki snapped, lying right through his teeth. His eyes never left Victoria and Eyvindr. A tiny smirk crept up to his lips when he saw her shake her head, then excuse herself from Eyvindr's presence. "Get your facts straight."

"Is little brother being snappy?"

"Just drop it, brother," Loki sighed. "Or the next time I see Jane, I'll tell her about _that_ time when I got you to dress up as-"

"All right, my lips are sealed."

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><p>Victoria inhaled the sweet scent of the fresh night-time air. Traces of apples, white peaches, magnolias, and lilies of the valley lingered in the atmosphere. It was wonderful to take a step outside in the balcony, quite far from the celebration and festivities. Her eyes trailed about at the vast expanse of the royal gardens beyond, containing beautiful flowers, trees, and fountains. She had enjoyed talking and laughing and dining with these people, but she knew she wasn't welcome here, and she knew she didn't belong here at all.<p>

And that Prince Eyvindr was _another_ matter, as well. When she had spoken to him, she almost thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head at seeing someone who looked like him. She had never really taken to men with longish hair, but he was definitely an exception with his beautiful long whitish hair. He was so friendly, so genial, and so naïvely charming that she couldn't help but be fascinated by him and felt oddly guilty when she excused herself from his company.

"All alone, are we?" She didn't bother to turn around to face the voice; the familiar silkiness was a dead giveaway to who it was. Her slender fingers traced tiny patterns onto the marble railing of the balcony.

"Hello, Loki," she returned, not actually answering his pointless question. "Shouldn't you be out there, socializing with your kin?"

"If you have made any attempts at noticing, dear Victoria, I am not quite welcomed here, although that is not a new story," he said. The words contained bitterness, but there was nothing in his tone of voice that would give it away, almost as if he was used to the fact that he was an outcast among his own already. "Yet I would have asked you your own question, almost every male within wish to speak with you, isn't that so?"

"Ha, Loki," Victoria couldn't help but snicker at his last question. She was sure he had seen her speaking to Eyvindr. "Are you _jelly_?"

"I beg to differ." He snorted and leaned against one of the broad stone pillars nearby. "If you think that I am jealous of that feminine male, you are sorely mistaken, Victoria."

"I forgot that you're the hunky-looking guy, Loki," she retorted sarcastically with a smirk, causing him to roll his eyes in an exaggerated fashion. He slowly walked towards her, until her side was pressing against his. "I've got something to ask of you, by the way."

"And that is?"

"How do you get home?"

Her words sliced delicately into him like a dagger, almost breaking the lovesick spell he seemed to be bound in. Green eyes twitched to meet hers, "Simple. Throw yourself off the ledge of the broken Bifrost and hope you don't crash in some other distant world." He paused as she glared at him. "Don't tell me you're thinking of leaving, Victoria. The only reason why I landed on earth was merely sheer luck and coincidence. It wasn't my true wish to land on earth, but to cease my existence. Possibly if you followed what I did, you would die from the impact."

"I have obligations back home, Loki. It's not my place to go gallivanting with royalty and deities." She shot him a patronizing glance as if he was but a child. "All this time I haven't forgotten that I have a daughter back on earth. If you won't help me find a way, I'll find it myself."

He grunted and pushed the blonde strands out of her face, tucking them behind her ear. "As cliché or as sadistic it may sound, but I wish you good luck in finding your way home." With the sound of his sweeping robes brushing against the floor, he left her alone on the balcony, staring out into the dark space ahead.

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><p>Loki paced the cold floor of his chambers, deep in thought. He had left everyone else's company much earlier, since he wouldn't be missed anyways. Sinister thoughts plagued his mind, replaying over and over again like the incessant ticking of a clock.<p>

**_Victoria's going home. Victoria likes Eyvindr. Victoria's going home. Victoria likes Eyvindr. Victoria's going home. Victoria likes Eyvindr._**

He shook his head as if to get rid of the disturbing thoughts as he walked to the other side of his room. An enormous map that nearly scaled half of the wall lay before him, showing the nine realms and the tree that held it. A slender finger trailed across the waxy paper while a pair of green eyes followed different paths until it reached the letters that spelled Alfheimr.

A sneer played on his lips as he took a step backwards, "So be it." He closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

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><p>D: Nuuuuu, Loki, whut are yooh gun do?<p>

Reviews = cookehs; cookehs = happy me; happy me = more chapters for you :D

/HotxBuns


	18. Cold field Trip

Sorry if this one took a gazillion light years for me to finish… ._. Getting summer jobs suck…especially if you didn't get one *sobs in corner* Oh well, at least more chapters for you! I hope you like this chapter, and yes, he's up to no good. What ze _hell_ u expect? Massah of mischief he be.

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><p>It was a beautiful place: lush green lands, forests, meadows, slithering rivers, and waterfalls. It was simple and not as bustling as Asgard, almost making the godly city look like a gaudy place in comparison. Everything looked so natural and all so simple compared to the scientific and magic places of Asgard. Moonlight pooled in the grass and reflected off the waters, making it look unbelievably peaceful and serene. There was absolutely nothing that could possibly disrupt the still beauty of the realm.<p>

Except for a certain band of individuals.

They walked on quietly, as if they were the night creeping on forward, leaving enormous footsteps on the grass they stepped on. Quiet crunching sounds could be heard under their feet, and a sparkle could be seen in the creamy light offered by the moon.

A raven, camouflaging in the shadows eyed the whole gang with a particular glint in its eyes. With a smile highly abnormal for an animal, it smirked deeply as it saw traces of frost left in the wake of their feet.

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><p>Victoria sat upright in her bed as she flipped through the pages of an old Asgardian book on mushrooms, bored. Judging by the time watch she had on one of her tables (which took her quite a while to figure out) it was quite past twelve at night by human standards, but she was not a tad bit drowsy.<p>

The party had ended nearly two hours past, and by the end of it, Loki was nowhere to be found. For a second she considered the fact that he was sulking because of Eyvindr. "That's dumb," she thought. "Loki wouldn't be that desperate for me, nor that childish." Victoria disregarded the thought, pushing it to the back of her mind.

Nearly jumping out of her skin, she shut the book closed when she heard the sound of light knocking on her door. Her eyes snapped back to the clock of the Aesir. Almost twelve thirty. Who would that be? Deftly, she tiptoed out of her bed and over to the entrance. "Who is it?" she asked, her fingers hovering over the doorknob.

"It is I."

The voice so gentle immediately registered into Victoria's mind, letting her know in an instant who it was. Without a sound she opened the door and the faint flickering of the lamps outside her room and the candles within offered a glimpse of the person standing outside the door.

"Hello, Eyvindr, I thought you had left already," she said at the tall, lean elf. "What's up?"

A delicate smile graced the prince's lips as he bowed gently at the waist, then took her hand in his. "I know it is not my place to ask you of this, my lady. And I know it may be for naught, but still I must try," he paused and stared at his feet, his cheeks beginning to flame a bright red. "If I were to ask you to come with me tonight to my realm, would you agree?"

A part of her said no, she shouldn't be doing this, running away with another prince while she was quite tethered to one. But then…she wasn't exactly tethered – she wasn't married, she wasn't his sweetheart. Did he even care about her? Love…oh, yes, love. Not once had he ever mentioned any true affections or at least the word 'love' to her. Not once. She was merely a plaything, an item of pleasure– She stopped the thoughts in her head as it disgusted her.

Also in the rumors _and_ stories, didn't he have other children? Did he get that one giantess pregnant with three kids or something?

Blue eyes looked up to meet a pair of pale grey ones as Eyvindr gently tilted her chin upwards. "Never once in my life have I ever been so smitten and so in love with anyone. I sound like a fool saying this when I just met you, but I needed to ask you that," he said, slightly stammering at the words spilling out of his mouth. "And I _swear_ upon all things good and holy, and upon my own father's name that I will not bring any harm to you or let any evil befall you. I will bring you back safely here to Asgard. I swear it, my lady."

Victoria's mind was spinning and reeling. Her stomach felt like a forest of butterflies, and her body felt nearly weightless. His words were like honey, so delicious to the ears and to the senses. Like honey…was he merely attempting some sort of vile trickery? Was he planning to win her by gentle, delicate words that would make her tomboyish self weak at the knees? Was he playing around like Loki, using sweet whispers to win her for evil purposes?

She raised her eyes once more into his pale ones once more. It was so clear, so devoid of any evil or malicious schemes, unlike those emerald irises. Completely empty of any wicked intentions, his eyes and his face was absolutely clear, showing only emotions of earnestness and passion. Unlike…what was his name? She was beginning to forget. Faint memories, very faint memories of a tall woman with long blonde hair, dressed in a Grecian gown…telling her about loyalty…

_"My son loves you…and would go against his rational thinking for you. Thor's foolishness will be nothing compared to my youngest son's acting…For you, he would crush the stars."_

Would he? Would he really do that? Her inner self laughed. _No_, of course he wouldn't. Wait…who was she talking about again?

Victoria took her hand away from his. "I understand, my lady, if you do not wish to go. It was so childish of me to-"

"No," she stated, interrupting him. He looked down at her with an odd expression on his face, as if waiting for Victoria to broaden that statement. "Take me with you. _Please_."

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><p>Loki's presence barely made a sound as he landed right on top of the broken Bifrost. Straightening his robes, he proceeded to walk back towards the castle. Casually, he stuck a familiar cube-like device back in his pocket, a look of masked glee all over his features. And they thought they had gotten the suitcase back.<em> Stupid<em> mortals.

It was night time here as well, but compared to Alfheim, this realm seemed to glow of its own accord, but not by nature. Scientific research and sorcery seemed to light up this place, making it look like the sun.

"Where have you been, Loki Odinson?" boomed an unnaturally deep voice. Loki looked up to see Heimdall standing on his pedestal, amber eyes burning into him. Loki scoffed at the way he was addressed.

"I do believe the All-Father placed you here on guard for a reason. Surely you, being the All-Seer can answer his own question, Heimdall."

Heimdall regarded him with a cold blank stare. "Lady Victoria cannot be won by such actions. Surely you of all people know that, Loki Odinson."

He pretended not to hear as he continued on walking.

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><p>VICTORIA. Y U SO STUPID.<p>

I'm so so so so so so so so sorry, but you need to see this website and be more deeply renewed in your lust love for Loki. PLEASE GO TO MY PROFILE AND CLICK THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM. PLEASE.

If you have the tiniest thought that I am wasting your time, look at the motherfucking site name at least. I dare you NOT to click it.

So go on. Click it. *insert goofy laugh here*

How was it? OwO

I was like, "OHBLOODYFUCKINGJEEZE" and spittle went flying all over my laptop. Love me now?

Reviews = cookehs

Cookehs = happy me

Happy me = more chapters for you!


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